The Charity operates through a dedicated and passionate team of trainers and part-time staff. Our trainers are all either fully qualified or trainee healthcare professionals such as nurses, doctors and physiotherapists. All are put through a rigorous selection and training programme to ensure that they have the skills needed to be effective trainers.

We are committed to their personal and professional development and encourage all to grow and develop. We think they are great and think you will too. Find out more about them and why they work with Bart’s City Life Saver below.

Are you interested in becoming a trainer with Bart’s City Life Saver? Email info@bartscitylifesaver.org for more information.

  • Picture of Rajvi Patel

    I'm Rajvi, a 4th Year Medical Student at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. I have been with BCLS since 2019 as a trainer, assessor, Team Leader and now Lead Trainer. I am really passionate about global health and making positive impacts around the world. I strongly believe that prevention is better than cure. Basic life support is a vital life skill and I feel privileged to teach this to others within the community.

    I have recently completed an intercalated degree in Global and Public Health and I am involved in a number of societies at university. I'm a keen foodie and love exploring new food hotspots and the outdoors.

    I am really proud to be a part of the BCLS team and I am excited to see how the organisation develops in the coming years.

  • Picture of Shivani Ganesh

    My name is Shivani, and I am a fourth-year medical student at Barts and the London. I have been working at Bart’s City Life Saver since December 2019. I feel lucky to be a Team Leader at such an outstanding charity that has such a positive impact within our community. I have always enjoyed teaching, and believe that sharing knowledge is a wonderful way to connect with people! As a Team Leader, I teach Adult, Baby and Child BLS sessions, assess trainees, and support my fellow trainers.

    Within medicine, I'm interested in the neurosciences, and public health. I recently completed an intercalated BSc in Neuroscience, which focused on these topics. I'm also passionate about anti-racist initiatives and advocate for them within my medical school and beyond. In my free time, I enjoy exploring London's newest cafés and restaurants, volunteering with children, and baking!

  • Picture of Andrew Pritchett

    I am Andrew and I have been a trainer with Bart’s City Life Saver since October 2022. I am currently studying to be an adult nurse at City, University of London. Before re-training as a nurse, I was an English teacher for many years, working in London and overseas as well as volunteering with St John Ambulance as a first aider. I am passionate about being able to combine my knowledge of Basic Life Support with my experience as a teacher and I find it enormously satisfying seeing our trainees develop their confidence, knowledge and skills in being able to save a life.

  • Picture of Danielle Reyes

    I'm Daniella, a 3rd year Medical Student at Barts and the London and a graduate of Pharmacology and Innovative Therapeutics BSc (Hons), making it my 6th year in the university! I am interested in pursuing a career in surgery and am also passionate about my sport - fencing.

    I was born in the Philippines, grew up in Singapore and now live in the UK where I call London my home. Living in different countries has highlighted the vast differences in healthcare services from third-world to first-world countries. I believe that despite the variety of resources available (or lack thereof) to each individual, everyone should be equipped with the knowledge and skills of BLS as it can help make a difference in saving someone's life.

    I became a fully qualified trainer in February 2023 and I am excited to lead more interactive and engaging sessions for our clients.

  • Picture of Divyani Bhudia

    I have been a trainer for Bart's City Life Saver since November 2022. I study Medicine at Barts and the London with the hope of specialising in Paediatrics in the future. I am currently a part of Barts and the London Netball Club and this sport plays a huge role in my life. I love to spend time with my friends and family discovering new cafes and restaurants as well as travelling.

    I learned Basic Life Support in my first year of Medical School and since then I have realised the importance, which made me want to help in teaching it as well. I find these sessions really fun to deliver and I get to interact with clients who have similar aspirations to me.

  • Picture of Francis Elechi

    I have been at Bart’s City Life Saver since July 2019. During my time, I’ve seen the organisation blossom into what it is today, met some amazing people and worked as a leader within the organisation. I enjoy teaching and believe it’s very important that people are taught what to do if they happen to see someone having a heart attack as it can potentially save the person’s life. I also make a few jokes to make the training session more enjoyable and fun.

  • Picture of Janice Tan

    Hi, my name is Janice, and I am a third-year medical student studying at Barts and The London. I recently joined BCLS in March 2023, and I am excited to share my knowledge of Basic Life Support with others. I believe BLS is an essential skill that can potentially save many lives, and I hope to inspire others to learn it as well.

    As I look forward to intercalating in Laparoscopic Surgery and Surgical Skills next year, I also indulge in exploring London's diverse food spots and traveling during my free time.

  • Picture of Katie Storer

    Hi, my name is Katie and I’m a trainee Physician Associate. I think BLS is such a valuable skill that everyone should have access to, and I enjoy running fun sessions to help people gain confidence and understanding of how they can help in emergency situations.

  • Picture of Maria Ahmad

    My name is Maria and I am a junior doctor (FY2), having graduated from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry with distinction in Medicine, and first class honours in my intercalated degree in Pre-Hospital Medicine. I have worked with Bart’s City Life Saver since 2017, as a Senior Trainer, Assessor, Team Leader and the Lead Trainer. These roles have involved teaching our courses and ensuring they are kept up to date, as well as supporting and mentoring our team members. I love working with BCLS and having the unique opportunity to teach our clients the essential skills to save a life and make a difference.

    I have a special interest in Medical Education, having taught and supported primary and secondary school children, medical students, healthcare professionals, corporate clients and members of the public. My commitment to Medical Education was recognised by the international 2018 Zeshan Qureshi Award for Outstanding Achievement in Medical Education. I am also passionate about medical leadership and I am currently writing a book on leadership for medical students internationally. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and non-fiction, solving puzzles, and applying henna.

  • Picture of Michela Franchina

    I’m Michela and I have been a trainer at BCLS since 2017 in my first year of medical school. I am currently an Assessor and Team Leader and in my fourth year of Medicine at Barts and the London School. I am a previous graduate and received a distinction in my BSc in Biomedical Sciences. The senior team and I have worked really hard during the pandemic to keep our sessions up to date and keep all our clients safe.

    I love being a trainer here at BCLS, my favourite part of running these courses is giving tips and tricks to improve clients technique and teaching them new information surrounding Basic Life Support in an engaging and interactive manner.

  • Picture of Nabihah Rahman

    My name is Nabihah and I am a medical student at Barts and the London. I joined BCLS in June 2022 and enjoy teaching basic life support. I have previously volunteered with St John Ambulance as an Events First Aider using basic life support (BLS) in practice.

    I believe BLS is an important skill for anyone to learn regardless of background. I have a lot of experience teaching and am committed to empowering people to save lives in emergency situations. I’m proud to be a part of this wonderful team and love making a positive difference in people’s lives.

  • Picture of Saloni Yadav

    My name is Saloni, I am currently a 2nd year medical student at Barts and The London. Since being taught Basic Life Support during first year, I have been enthusiastic to teach BLS to others and feel privileged to be a trainer! BLS training is very valuable in society, and I believe should be continually taught in an enthusiastic, memorable and effective way. I have been teaching in a variety of areas for several years now, and still enjoy being engaging and making a difference to people’s lives!

  • Picture of Sandhya Paranietharan

    I'm Sandhya, a 2nd year medical student at Barts and the London. I've been a BCLS trainer since September 2022 and have thoroughly enjoyed teaching sessions. I think knowing basic life support is an essential skill to have and can make the biggest of differences. I love being able to interact with clients of all backgrounds and it's one of my favorite parts of being a trainer with BCLS!

  • Picture of Sarah Gharib

    I'm Sarah and I've been a trainer with BCLS since October 2022. I'm currently studying medicine at Barts and the London, and prior to this, I did an Economics degree. When I'm not studying, I love spending time with my family and friends, especially when food is involved. I really enjoy teaching and strive to find fun, creative ways that make learning engaging and memorable. I’m very proud to teach BLS as it's a crucial skill that can make a huge difference in emergency situations.

  • Picture of Soo-Yon Cho

    Hi, my name is Soo and I am a 2nd year medical student at Barts and the London. I joined BCLS in September 2022 and I am very excited to teach basic life support because it is a very useful skill to have even if you're not in a medical profession. One of my passions in medicine is cardiology because heart problems affect a lot of people in the world so I think it's important that even the general public have a basic understanding of how the heart works so anyone can help someone who might be having a heart attack, which can happen at any time.

  • Picture of Venaya Binwani

    I’m Venaya, a second year medical student studying at Barts and the London. I grew up in Malaysia and moved to London in 2021 to study Medicine. I recently qualified as a trainer and have really enjoyed being a part of the BCLS team. Teaching basic life support has been a really fun way to connect with the wider healthcare community and get to know my fellow trainers. It is a highly rewarding experience to share such an important skill with others, and have clients leave a session feeling like they’ve learnt something new! Outside of BCLS I enjoy staying active and doing Yoga as well as exploring all of the new food spots and cafes that London has to offer!

  • Picture of Niamh Whelan

    Niamh is a member of the Senior Team and joined the charity as a volunteer in 2007. She has remained involved in varying capacities since then. With responsibility for the community arm of the organisation, she led on the success of the BCLS Patients Project between 2009 - 2014. She currently supports the charity administratively.

    She works full time for the NHS as the Paediatric Live Matron at Kings College Hospital and enjoys running and travelling.

    ‘I work at BCLS simply because I have a passion for developing others and for resuscitation.’

  • Picture of Joanna Pellet

    I am the administrator for Bart's City Life Saver and I work part-time dealing with all the bookings and supporting our trainers. Previously I have worked in various roles in marketing and customer communications. I really enjoy being part of an organisation that makes a difference to people's life saving skills and knowledge.