Meet the Speakers for Our 2026 Conference
Mr Ismail Vokshi, FRCS, MRCS, FHEA
Consultant Cardiac Surgeon
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Speaker Topic: Aortic Dissection: Modern Approaches to a Deadly Disease
Mr Ismail Vokshi is a Consultant Cardiac Surgeon specialising in aortic surgery and complex aortic disease. He has trained in major cardiothoracic centres in the UK and Europe, with expertise in aortic root surgery, valve-sparing procedures, aortic arch surgery, frozen elephant trunk techniques, and the management of acute aortic dissection.
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Alongside his clinical practice, Mr Vokshi is actively involved in service development, education, and research. He works closely within multidisciplinary teams to advance specialist aortic care and is committed to improving patient outcomes through surgical excellence, innovation, and collaborative working. He also serves as a clinical advisor, contributing to the development of healthcare innovation and emerging technologies designed to enhance patient care.
Blerta Ilazi
Queen’s Nurse, ReSTORE Programme Lead
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Speaker Topic: Narrative Review of Refugee Healthcare Professionals’ Experience in Seeking Employment in the NHS
Blerta Ilazi is a multi-award-winning nurse and Queen’s Nurse dedicated to reducing health inequalities and advancing health equity. As a Health Inclusion Specialist, her work spans clinical practice, education, and leadership.
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Drawing on her lived experience of forced migration, Blerta founded and leads ReSTORE, a programme supporting refugee nurses, midwives, and allied healthcare professionals to regain professional registration and integrate into the NHS workforce.
She has also served as Clinical Fellow for Refugee Nursing with NHS England North East and Yorkshire. A national and international keynote speaker, Blerta is a leading advocate for refugee integration and a diverse, inclusive healthcare workforce that improves lives, strengthens communities, and addresses health inequalities.
Dr Aneta Gordani
Clinical Research Fellow, Cambridge University
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Speaker Topic: Mitochondrial Neurogastrointestinal Encephalopathy (MNGIE): Retrospective Natural History Study – Looking Back to Move Forward
Dr Aneta Gordani graduated with an MBBS from the University of Prishtina in Kosovo and has worked in a range of clinical and healthcare settings in both the UK and Kosovo.
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Currently a junior doctor, her experience includes roles in hospital medicine, pharmacy services, and medical education, where she has supported patient care and day-to-day clinical work. Through these roles, she has gained practical experience in patient communication, teamwork, and routine clinical practice. Dr Gordani has a keen interest in neuroscience, rare diseases, and evidence-based medicine.
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She is currently a Clinical Research Fellow at the Cambridge Clinical Mitochondrial Medicine group within the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge, where she is developing her clinical research and trial experience.
Dr Ledia Agley
Specialist Physiotherapist, Clinical Transformational Leader
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Speaker Topic: From Movement to Momentum: The Digital Revolution in Parkinson’s Exercise Rehabilitation
Dr Ledia Agley is a specialist physiotherapist by background, with extensive clinical and academic experience in neurodegenerative conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, dementia and ageing-related disorders. She has worked across a range of specialties in secondary and tertiary care at leading UK teaching hospitals.​
Now working as a clinical transformation leader, she operates at the intersection of neurodegenerative care, digital health and implementation science. Her work focuses on translating clinical insight and patient experience into scalable, regulated innovation within complex healthcare systems.
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Dr Agley’s interest spans Parkinson’s disease, dementia, stroke, vestibular rehabilitation and healthy ageing. Prior to and alongside her clinical career, she has collaborated with leading scientists and researchers at institutions contributing to work in stroke, vestibular rehabilitation and ageing.
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She completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge, where her research focused on early allied health professional involvement in Parkinson’s care and the co-design of digital solutions for people living with the condition.
Prof. Venet Osmani
Professor of Clinical AI and Machine Learning, Queen Mary University of London
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Speaker Topic: The New Microscope: Generalist Clinical AI and the Future of Medicine
Venet Osmani is a Professor of Clinical AI and Machine Learning at Queen Mary University of London, directing the Osmani Lab within the Digital Environment Research Institute. His work contributes to the National Institute for Health and Care Research Barts Biomedical Research Centre and OneLondon, a pan-London collaboration of the five NHS Integrated Care Systems. He also serves on the Research Strategy Board for the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry.
He is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Sheffield, where he led the Health Informatics Research Group, served on the Executive Board of the Healthy Lifespan Flagship Institute, and was a Research Board member of the Insigneo Institute. He also co-directed a Wellcome-funded Doctoral Training Centre in Public Health.
His work has been featured in outlets such as MIT Technology Review, The Telegraph, Le Figaro, Forbes, and Time Magazine. His research is funded by the Medical Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the British Heart Foundation and the European Commission.
He also serves as an invited expert for the European Commission, the Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Medical Research Foundation, the Swiss National Science Foundation, and the Dutch Research Council. He collaborates with leading clinical institutions including Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Mount Sinai Hospital, and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.
Nebahate Ejupi
CBT and EMDR Therapist, LTC Lead, Westminster Talking Therapies
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Speaker Topic: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Physical Health Long-Term Conditions
Nebahate Ejupi works in NHS Primary Care Talking Therapies. As a Long Term Conditions (LTC) Lead, she manages LTC projects, supervises clinicians, and works directly with patients experiencing depression and anxiety, particularly those presenting with PTSD, complex PTSD, and/or long-term conditions.
In her leadership role, she liaises with other health professionals to establish direct referral pathways and initiates collaborative projects to support the care of patients with long-term conditions. She regularly provides supervision and training to colleagues in the use of CBT therapies and also supervises and trains colleagues in Albania.
Dr Ernese Xhafa-Hamiti
Consultant Medical Oncologist
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Speaker Topic: Breast Cancer: Curability in the Era of Early Diagnosis and Targeted Treatment
Dr Ernese Xhafa-Hamiti completed medical training at the University of Prishtina Medical School with post-qualification training and experience gained in numerous academic centres in London, such as University College London Hospital, Imperial NHS Trust, Mount Vernon Cancer Centre and Bart's Health NHS Trust.​
​She completed postgraduate studies at the Institute of Cancer Research and is a member of the RCP in London, the Association of Cancer Physicians, European Society of Medical Oncologists, UK Breast Cancer Group and UK Acute Oncology Society.​
She holds a substantive post as a consultant in Medical Oncology at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre and an honorary post at Wexham Park Hospital and King Edward VII Hospital, Windsor, where she treats oncology patients, focusing on two tumour types: breast and lung cancer. Dr Xhafa-Hamiti also offers her expertise in private hospitals such as Princess Margaret Hospital, Bishop’s Wood Hospital, Spire Thames Valley Hospital and Genesis Care.​
Her work includes treating cancer patients with the most advanced methods, such as immunotherapy, hormonal therapies, chemotherapy and targeted therapies.
Ernese also offers acute oncology expertise (AOS) while making a management plan for inpatients who present with acute problems related to their treatment or cancer itself.
She is an author and co-author of many publications and an active member of the clinical trial team in her Oncology department. She continues to teach and mentor junior doctors and registrars and appraises her senior colleagues.
Dr Eriomina Shahaj
Research Fellow in Gene Therapy and Nanoparticle Delivery
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Speaker Topic: From EVs to mRNA Therapy: My Scientific Journey with Nanoparticles
Dr Eriomina Shahaj is a researcher working at the intersection of immunology and translational science. She grew up in Llakatund i Vlorës in Albania and moved to Italy at the age of 18 to pursue her studies in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Genoa, where she completed both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
She then carried out her PhD at the National Institute of Tumours in Milan and was awarded her doctorate in 2020 by The Open University. Her PhD research focused on immune checkpoint regulation mediated by melanoma-derived extracellular vesicles.
Following her PhD, she moved to London for her first postdoctoral position at Queen Mary University of London, where she worked on mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, including research into mechanisms of immune activation and myocarditis.
She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, where she is working on mRNA-based gene therapy for Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia using lipid nanoparticles as delivery systems.
Her research journey reflects a strong interest in understanding how nanoparticles interact with the immune system, bridging fundamental biology with therapeutic innovation.
Her goals are to get involved in teaching for this next academic year, and lunch her podcast project explaining science in an easy accessible way for everyone to understand and be inspired by it.
Dr Ardiana Gjini
Executive Director of Public Health for Hywel Dda University Health Board
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Speaker Topic: Impact of Temporary Suspension of Bowel Screening Inequalities During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Dr Ardiana Gjini is the Executive Director of Public Health for Hywel Dda University Health Board, leading population health, prevention, and health equity across west Wales, along with other portfolio areas including emergency planning, children’s health and decarbonisation agenda. With a background spanning clinical practice, epidemiology, health protection and improvement, as well as academic practice, she is recognised for championing evidence-based policy and ethically grounded public health leadership.
Her work centres on reducing inequity, strengthening community resilience, and ensuring that health and care policy and strategical decisions uphold fairness, prudent funding and spending, transparency, and accountability. Dr Gjini is particularly committed to embedding ethical principles into everyday practice—whether guiding population-level interventions, maximising the benefits of our health service, developing a socially conscious model of health, or balancing individual autonomy with the collective good.
A key part of her work has focused on the ethical dimensions of immunisation, screening, cancer control, around the implications of individual’s consent and informed choice on wider communities and health services. For many years as a lead consultant in the area her commitment to ensuring that vaccination and screening programmes are delivered with transparency, respect for autonomy, and culturally sensitive communication, led her to develop herself and the wider workforce on issues of consent, incentives and penalties for public health programmes. During the years as member of the UK NSC she paid particular attention to the ethical implications of screening —not only for individuals but also for families, communities, and the wider health service—balancing personal impact with population-level responsibilities and service sustainability.
Her previous roles have been working as a consultant at the national level as part of Public Health Wales leading the National Cancer Screening Programmes, as well as expanding her role from the Covid response to a broader Consultant in Communicable Disease Control for PHW.
Prior to moving to the Welsh NHS system, Dr Gjini held Consultant roles in the English system where she has led on cancer, screening, and immunisation programmes, amongst other areas of work. Alongside her service role, Ardiana developed her academic collaborations with University of Cardiff, developing several large research programmes, as well as continued her collaboration with University of Bristol, with which she has been affiliated for many years, as a continuation of her work during her PhD studies.
Dr Baki Ejupi
GP with Special Interest Clinical Lead for Diabetes, CKD and Lipid Management GP Trainer
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Speaker Topic: The Story of UKAMS – How We Started and Where We Are Today
Dr Baki Ejupi is a General Practitioner based in North West London with a strong clinical and educational interest in the management of long-term conditions, particularly diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and lipid disorders. He graduated from the University of Prishtina, Kosova, and completed his postgraduate medical training within the NHS, including Core Medical Training and extended specialist experience in diabetology and renal medicine with East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust. He subsequently completed GP Vocational Training within the same trust.
Since 2015, Dr Ejupi has been working as a GP, where currently serves as Lead Clinician for long-term conditions within his practice. In this role, he focuses on improving patient outcomes through evidence-based management, proactive disease monitoring, and multidisciplinary collaboration.
Alongside his clinical responsibilities, Dr Ejupi is actively involved in medical education as a GP trainer, supporting the development of future clinicians and contributing to teaching and training initiatives within the practice and the wider local area.
Dr Ejupi's professional interests centre on optimising chronic disease management in primary care, reducing cardiovascular risk, and enhancing patient engagement through structured, personalised care.
Dr Geri Hebovija
Core Trainee Psychiatrist, The Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT)
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Speaker Topic: Anxiety: A Neurological, Psychological and Social Approach
Dr Geri Hebovija is a CT2 Psychiatry trainee currently working in Essex and Hertfordshire. His clinical and academic interests include transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), psychotherapy, and both general and old age psychiatry.
He graduated from the University of Nottingham, where he also completed an intercalated BSc in Microbiology during his medical education. Following Completion of his degree and Foundation training, he pursued a career in psychiatry, which he is currently undertaking as part of his core training.
Alongside his clinical work, Dr Hebovija has a strong interest in medical education. He has held the role of Teaching Programme Lead, where he organises the local teaching programme in his deanery, in addition to also serving as the local Core Trainee representative for his cohort.
Dr Hebovija has a particular interest in brain stimulation techniques, including TMS, in the treatment of mental health disease and disorders, as well as classical and novel psychotherapeutic approaches. He has gained experience in both novel and established methods of treating mental illness, with a focus on how these evolving modalities may shape the future of psychiatric care, and how the integration of medical interventions and psychological therapies can interact in order to provide quality patient centred care.
Dr Sali Urovi
Consultant in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
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Speaker Topic: A Multimodal Approach to Thoracic Anaesthesia
Dr Sali Urovi is a Consultant in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care and Lead for Thoracic Anaesthesia at Basildon & Thurrock University Hospital, Essex Cardiothoracic Centre. With over 20 years of international experience in the UK and Italy, he specialises in the anaesthetic management of complex cardiac and thoracic surgery, as well as perioperative critical care.
His clinical and academic interests focus on thoracic anaesthesia, multimodal and regional techniques, and transoesophageal echocardiography, for which he holds European (EACTA) certification. Dr. Urovi is an active faculty member in regional anaesthesia and ultrasound training and regularly contributes to international conferences.
He is a board member of the Egyptian Journal of Cardiac Anaesthesia and an Honorary Professor with FACOP (Brazil).
Dr Blerina Kola
Executive Medical Director at Vertex Pharmaceuticals
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Speaker Topic: You Didn’t Leave Medicine – You Changed the Clinic: What Physicians Do in Industry to Bring Innovative Medicines to Patients
Dr Blerina Kola, MD, PhD, FFPM is an Executive Medical Director at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where she leads Medical Affairs across Northern Europe, Canada, Australia/New Zealand and Distributor markets. She has over 15 years of industry experience spanning rare diseases, immunology, endocrinology, etc., including gene and cell therapies.
Prior to Vertex, she held multiple senior medical roles at Pfizer in Inflammation & Immunology, including European and International leadership positions in IBD, rheumatology and dermatology.
Dr Kola trained as a Consultant Endocrinologist and academic researcher at the University of Ancona, Italy, and at Barts and The London / Queen Mary University of London. She has published extensively in high impact peer reviewed journals and is a Fellow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine and a longstanding appraiser for the FPM.
Axhentila Bali
Chemist, MSc Pharmaceutical Sciences University of Greenwich
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Speaker Topic: Ensuring Drug Safety: The Role of Quality Control in Modern Medicine
Axhentila Bali is a young professional Chemist and Associate Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (AMRSC), holding an MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Greenwich. She has developed strong expertise in drug development, quality control, and laboratory testing within GMP-regulated environments, aligned with European regulatory standards (EMA guidelines), with a focus on analytical precision, data integrity, and compliance.
Her current work involves HPLC analysis of pharmaceutical compounds for identification, quantification, and quality control, supported by scientific documentation and the consistent delivery of accurate, high-quality results. Her previous research work was focused on developing a pharmaceutical cream formulation, reflecting her interest in applied pharmaceutical science and product development.
She is committed to advancing drug safety and upholding excellence in pharmaceutical science to support improved healthcare outcomes.
Dr Filonid Aliu
MD, MRCP, Cardiologist and Senior Clinical Fellow in Cardiology
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Speaker Topic: Between Order and Chaos: Lessons from the Heart
Dr Filonid Aliu, MD, MRCP, is a cardiologist and Senior Clinical Fellow in Cardiology at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with experience across cardiology and internal medicine.
Alongside his clinical work, he is Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of PARAL, a medtech company developing wearable solutions for continuous cardiac monitoring, with a focus on enabling high-quality ECG assessment beyond traditional clinical settings. His role centres on aligning technological development with real-world clinical needs.
He also contributes to medical AI model training, with an interest in the responsible integration of artificial intelligence into clinical practice, particularly where it can enhance diagnostic accuracy and improve access to care.
Dr Aliu is actively involved in medical education and international collaboration, and returns as a speaker at the UKAMS Congress following his participation in previous meetings.
Dr Arben Rrukaj
MRCGP, GP Trainer & Senior Partner at The Willesden Medical Centre
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Speaker Topic: Consultation Model: How to Finish a Consultation Within 12 Minutes
Dr Arben Rrukaj is a General Practitioner based at Willesden Medical Centre and a Clinical Director for the K&W Healthcare Federation in Brent, North West London. He has a special interest in teaching and training, as well as IT in primary care.
He graduated from the University of Tirana in 1993 and worked for a few years in Koplik and Shkodër.
He has been working in the NHS since 2001. He completed the first two years of GP Vocational Training at St Mary's, followed by three years at Barnet Hospital VTS, finishing in 2004. Since the end of 2004, Dr Rrukaj worked as a GP at Harrow Road Health Centre (Westminster), and then moved to Willesden Medical Centre in 2009.
In 2012, he completed a postgraduate diploma in Teaching and Training at Westminster University and has been a GP trainer since then. Since 2016, he has also been the Clinical Director for IT and Projects for the K&W Healthcare Federation.
In 2019, Dr Rrukaj was the Clinical Lead for the COVID vaccination programme for Brent, run at the Swaminarayan Centre. Since 2022, he has been the GP Senior Partner at Willesden Medical Centre. Since becoming Senior Partner, the practice has gone from strength to strength in terms of patient growth, patient satisfaction (4.3 stars in Google reviews), financial stability, and staff satisfaction.
Alongside his clinical and managerial responsibilities at Willesden Medical Centre, Dr Rrukaj is actively involved in the federation as lead for federation projects, including e-Hub (federation triage) and CPMG/frailty. He is also very actively involved in education as a GP trainer, especially supporting GP trainees in difficulty.
Dr Rrukaj also has a strong interest in IT projects. He has been an early adopter of various IT tools in primary care, such as Accurx (his GP practice was the 96th practice among around 6,000 nationally to start using Accurx). The practice is paperless and has recently started using EMMA AI Reception, Medlink QOF recalls, Ardens, and X-on telephony.
Finally, Dr Rrukaj is one of the UKAMS founder members and has since been very active in supporting healthcare professionals, including medical students and doctors from Albania, as well as other Albanian-speaking healthcare professionals looking to work in the UK.
He has also been very supportive of Albanian patients through voluntary work at the Albanian Embassy, community events, and by helping patients register at his GP surgery.
Dr Fahri Seljmani
MD, MSc Public Health, Dip Ldrshp ED SAS Lead, Royal Free Trust, North Middlesex University Hospital
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Speaker Topic: From Parliamentary Crisis to Award-Winning Excellence
Dr Fahri Seljmani graduated from the University of Zagreb as a Medical Doctor before pursuing postgraduate training in the United Kingdom. He completed a Master of Science (MSc) in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, establishing a strong foundation in public health, epidemiology, and healthcare system improvement.
He began his professional career at the London Health Observatory, contributing to population health analysis and service planning, before continuing his work across several Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), where he supported healthcare development initiatives and contributed to national and international publications.
Among his early contributions to the Kosovar/Albanian community is the publication of a medical phrase book -“ Working with Kosovar/Albanian Patients in the UK” (1999), published by Thameside Essex NHS, aimed at improving communication and access to healthcare for Albanian speaking community.
Alongside his clinical development, Dr Fahri transitioned into General Practice training before developing a long-term interest in Emergency Medicine, where he established himself as an experienced clinician and service leader. In recognition of his leadership and clinical expertise, he was invited by the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust to join an improvement programme and transfer to North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust in 2016, where he currently practises.
He has played an important role in service development, contributing to the design and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and clinical pathways, and currently serves in leadership roles as Emergency Department (ED) SAS Lead and Emergency Ambulatory Care Unit (EACU) Lead, supporting quality improvement, patient safety, and operational efficiency.
Dr Fahri is also one of the founding members of UKAMS (United Kingdom Albanian Medical Society) and remains actively involved in professional collaboration, charitable initiatives, and voluntary healthcare contributions in supporting healthcare development.