Namita Kumar

My expertise is as a senior doctor who has been involved in the delivery and strategic planning of Postgraduate Medical and dental education and multiprofessional education quality improvement. I worked as a Consultant in Rheumatology and General Medicine until 2024. I remain on the specialist register and am fully licensed and revalidated.

I have held senior leadership roles in Postgraduate Medical Education and Training since 2013 and have been responsible for quality for all multiprofessional learning in the clinical environment in the Northeast since 2015, Northeast and Yorkshire since 2019 and nationally since 2025. I have been a Responsible officer for GMC Revalidation since 2013 and remain responsible for 3000 resident doctors. I ran the Northeast deanery for 12 years, managing a team of over 100 individuals, responsible for 20 direct reports and a budget of £460 million.

My regulatory expertise grew from being appointed to the board of the first Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Regulator in 2003, a Secretary of State appointment. I helped establish policy and process from the legal directions working at non executive director level across the 4 nations. My operational roles have been to deliver Medical training at regional, national and UK level to meet these standards.

I am a strategic leader with a track record of high performance and operational responsibility. This is evidenced by GMC survey results which shows the Northeast as consistently having some of the best Postgraduate Medical Training in the UK. I aim to find innovative solutions that work across organisational and professional boundaries that led to the establishment of 4 multiprofessional faculties in the Northeast Patient Safety, Digital Health, Sustainable Health Care and Advanced Clinical Practice.

My current role is national Postgraduate Dean, and I oversee business delivery and risk for medical and dental postgraduate training for the Workforce, Training and Education Directorate within NHS England. This impacts approximately 75 000 doctors and dentists in training. I am also the national clinical lead for multiprofessional Education Quality and supporting workforce input in the 10 Year Health Plan for England.

I was elected to Council of the Academy of Medical Educators from 2014 to 2017, and a Councillor then Trustee Councillor of Royal college of Physicians from 2017 to 2022. I have been the Co-chair of HEE Postgraduate Deans since 2020, and I am a co-chair of the Conference of Postgraduate Deans UK (COPMeD) and co-chaired the Joint Academy Training forum (JATF) with the Acadamy of Medical Royal Colleges from 2020 to 2023. I was appointed as a trustee for the National Confidential Enquiry for Patient Outcomes and Death (NCEPOD) in January 2022.

I have two honorary chairs with the University of Sunderland and UCLAN for supporting their undergraduate Medical programmes. I have therefore held very senior operational and strategic roles regionally, nationally

National Postgraduate Dean at NHS England Workforce, Training and Education Directorate (2023 – Present)

Oversee business delivery and risk for medical and dental postgraduate training for the Workforce, Training and Education Directorate within NHS England. This impacts approximately 75 000 doctors and dentists in training. National clinical lead for multiprofessional Education Quality and supporting workforce input in the 10 Year Health Plan for England.

Regional Postgraduate Dean at NHS England NEY (Formerly HEE North East and Yorkshire) (2019 – 2025)

Postgraduate Medical Dean at Health Education England North East (2013 – 2024)

Ran the Northeast deanery for 12 years, managing a team of over 100 individuals, responsible for 20 direct reports and a budget of £460 million.

Foundation School Director at Northern Deanery (2010 – 2013)

Consultant Rheumatologist at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS FT (2019 – 2024)

Consultant Rheumatologist and Physician at County Durham and Darlington NHS FT (2006 – 2018)

Locum Consultant Rheumatologist and Physician (2006 – 2006)

Assessor and advisor at World Federation of Medical Education (2017 – Present)

UCSRT Course co –director at Harvard University (2016 – 2017)

Council member at Academy of Medical Educators (2014 – 2017)

Councillor then Trustee Councillor at Royal college of Physicians (2017 – 2022)

Co-chair at HEE Postgraduate Deans (2020 – Present)

Co-chair at Conference of Postgraduate Deans UK (COPMeD) (Present)

Co-chair at Joint Academy Training forum (JATF) with the Acadamy of Medical Royal Colleges (2020 – 2023)

Trustee at National Confidential Enquiry for Patient Outcomes and Death (NCEPOD) (2022-01 – Present)

Visiting Professor, School of Medicine at University of Sunderland (2017 – Present)

Honorary chair supporting the undergraduate Medical programme.

Honorary Clinical Professor, School of Medicine at UCLAN (2017 – Present)

Honorary chair supporting the undergraduate Medical programme.

Specialist Registrar at Northern Region Higher Specialist Training scheme in Rheumatology and General Internal Medicine (1997 – 2005)

CCT awarded 2005

Senior House Officer at South Tees Acute NHS Trust (1995 – 1997)

Senior House Officer at Queen Elizabeth and Bensham Hospitals, Gateshead (1994 – 1995)

Pre-registration House Officer at Walton and Fazakerley Hospitals, Liverpool (1993 – 1994)

FRCP – Royal College of Physicians (2009)

MD – University of Newcastle (2008)

MRCP (UK) – Royal College of Physicians (1997)

MBChB – University of Liverpool (1993)

Fellow in Medical Educators – Academy of Medical Educators (2011)

Master in Medical Education – University of Dundee (2001)

Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation – Sloan Institute, MIT, Boston (2017)

Executive Certificate in Leadership and Management – Sloan Institute, MIT, Boston (2014)

Clinical Fellow – North East Leadership Academy (2010)

PGC in Innovation and Transformational Change – University of Teesside (2011)

Level 7 Diploma Award in Strategic Management and Leadership – Chartered Management Institute (2011)