The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation (TMBDLF) awards annual diversity leadership scholarships - across various fields of study and sectors - to future diversity leaders. Farah, who is a doctor by profession, has been recognised as a next generation diversity leader in the medical sector, supporting Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.
To apply for the scholarship, Farah submitted a statement that outlined what diversity means to her and how we could close the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) gaps. She explained that in her home country of Bangladesh, females represent only 10% of surgeons overall, and in 2024 only 13 to14% of surgeons in the UK are female. This highlights a significant DEI gap within the field of surgery.
As a diversity leader, I aspire to inspire other young people around me - Farah Khan
‘It is a male-dominated area because, from my personal experience, people are still biased by gender,’ said Farah. ‘Professions like surgery require a lot of physical and mental strength, extreme hard work, passion, and dedication. Most of the time, people trust male surgeons more. Also, in some countries (like Bangladesh), women don’t like to go to male surgeons due to cultural barriers, resulting in delayed outcomes. Coupled with that, the intersectionality of brown Asian representation is surgery, which is also very low.
‘Male surgeons are more in demand in specific areas like cardiothoracic, orthopaedic, and neurosurgery, creating roadblocks for female surgeons. I want to break this barrier and prove this idea wrong.’
Open to full-time students in the UK from diverse backgrounds, a Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Scholarship provides funding to pursue education and career ambitions, and includes mentoring from leaders in their field, networking opportunities and the possibility of work experience.
Speaking of the scholarship, Farah said: ‘As a diversity leader, I aspire to inspire other young people around me.’
She added: ‘I aim to excel in my career both academically and clinically in surgery. With the funding award, I plan to invest in my education and professional development to enhance my skills and knowledge in the surgical sciences sector.’
Farah received her award during the 9th TMBDLF Annual Lecture on Thursday 12 September 2024, which took place at Grove House in the University of Roehampton.
More information on the scholarship programme is available on TMBDLF’s website.