The BCS Mentoring Scheme is an exclusive benefit for BCS members, available at no additional cost.
Now accepting mentoring requests
The BCS Mentoring Scheme connects members at various stages of their careers, with mentors drawing on their experience and expertise to support the next generation of cardiovascular professionals.
Through the scheme, members can receive support in areas such as:
Preparing for a change of role or industry
Achieving career development goals
Managing work/life balance
Progressing into leadership roles
Building and strengthening their professional network
Looking for a mentor?
Mentoring is available to Ordinary, Associate BJCA and Affiliate BCS members.
Become a BCS mentor
Would you like to support a fellow BCS member in their career development?
Please click the link below to set up a mentoring profile or email BCS at [email protected] for further information.
Become a BCS member
The BCS Mentoring Scheme is an exclusive benefit for Ordinary, Associate BJCA and Affiliate BCS members, available at no additional cost.
By becoming a BCS member you will be joining an established community of around 3,000 cardiovascular professionals – all working with the same aim of improving patient care.
Meet our mentors
Our mentorship platform matches mentors and mentees based on professional experience, preferred mentoring topics and subspecialties.
Below are some of the inspiring mentors you may be matched with.
In addition, there are many other excellent mentors available in the scheme across all main subspecialties, offering guidance in early-career progression, later-career development, leadership, research, and work-life balance.
Please note that while specific mentors can be requested, BCS cannot guarantee a match.
Professor Simon Ray
Professor Simon Ray was a cardiologist at Manchester University Hospitals for 30 years and is currently National Clinical Director for Heart Disease in NHSE and Deputy Chair of the British Heart Foundation.
He is a Past President of the British Cardiovascular Society.
Dr Louise Buchanan
Dr Louise Buchanan is a consultant cardiologist and Medical Director for Professional Standards at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust.
She is Vice President for Professional and Society Values at BCS and is also part of the Women in Cardiology Committee, promoting women as professionals in cardiology.
Dr Anwar Chahal
Dr Anwar Chahal is a clinical and translational physician scientist. His roles include founder and Medical Director of the Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Diseases and Precision Medicine, and Associate Professor, Consultant Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist of WellSpan Health, York, PA.
He is an Honorary Consultant with Barts Heart Centre, and Senior Reader, Queen Mary University of London.
Dr Helen Oxenham
Dr Helen Oxenham is a consultant cardiologist in North Tees and Hartlepool and is the current Network clinical lead for adult congenital heart disease for the North East and Cumbria.
She has an interest in cardiac imaging with Echo, TOE and CTCA and Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Valve Disease and travels regularly to Ghana to continue to establish cardiac valve services including surgery and provide training.
Dr Jamal Khan
Dr Jamal Khan is a consultant cardiologist and Lead for Cardiac Imaging at University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust.
He is passionate about delivering and developing education and training in Cardiac Imaging and was awarded the BJCA’s Award for ‘Best Cardiac Imaging Teaching Consultant’ of 2022. Dr Khan is the current BCS Imaging Village Lead.
Professor Richard Sutton
Professor Richard Sutton is an Emeritus Professor and internationally recognised cardiologist whose career spans senior clinical, academic, and leadership positions, including presidency roles in several cardiac societies.
He has published over 435 peer-reviewed papers and is founding editor of Europace. He now offers mentorship in career development, specialist training, and navigating professional difficulties.
Dr Krishnaraj Rathod
Dr Krishnaraj Rathod is an Interventional Cardiology Consultant at Barts Heart Centre and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at The William Harvey Research Institute at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).
He is lead for Specialised Foundation Programme teaching in the Clinical Academic Training School (CATS) at QMUL and is part of the Training and Education Group for the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society (BCIS).
Frequently Asked Questions
Why join the BCS mentoring scheme?
The BCS Mentoring Scheme is an exclusive benefit for Ordinary, Associate BJCA and Affiliate BCS members, available at no additional cost.
The scheme connects BCS members at different stages of their careers, with mentors drawing on their experience and expertise to support the next generation of cardiac professionals.
Mentoring may include helping a mentee:
- prepare for a change of role or industry
- achieve career development goals
- return from a career break
- progress into leadership roles
- build and strengthen their professional network
By supporting fellow members, mentors help advance the field of cardiology while also creating opportunities to reflect on and enhance their own professional growth.
Mentoring is facilitated through our mentoring platform, accessible via the BCS member platform.
A certificate will be issued to mentors and mentees who complete one year of mentoring.
Is there a fee?
The BCS Mentoring Scheme is a benefit of membership and is available exclusively to Ordinary, Affiliate and Associate BCS members.
There is no extra charge to use this resource, but please note spaces are limited.
How can I become a BCS mentor?
A mentor is someone who provides advice, guidance and support to another person, helping them develop skills, confidence and achieve professional or personal goals.
As a BCS Mentor, you would support a fellow BCS member in their career development, offering guidance in areas such as:
• Preparing for a change of role or industry
• Achieving career development goals
• Returning from a career break
• Progressing into leadership roles
• Building and strengthening their professional network
If you’re interested in being a mentor and feel prepared to support other BCS members in their growth, please click this link to set up a mentoring profile or email BCS at [email protected] for further information.
Your mentoring profile will be reviewed by a BCS administrator who will accept the form or get in touch if further information is required.
How can I become a mentee?
The BCS Mentoring Scheme is an exclusive benefit for Ordinary, Associate BJCA and Affiliate BCS members, available at no additional cost.
Please click on this link to set up a mentoring request.
There is no extra charge to use this resource, but please note spaces are limited.
What is the matching process?
Prospective mentors and mentees are asked to fill out their mentoring preferences and a mentoring form (mentors) or mentoring request (mentees), which includes questions on professional experience, subspecialties and preferred mentoring topics.
Our mentoring platform will then identify suitable mentors or mentees based on these preferences and criteria. In certain circumstances a BCS administrator may also match mentors and mentees.
Please note that while specific mentors can be requested, BCS cannot guarantee a match.
Approved mentors and mentees have access to the mentoring platform through the BCS member platform.
How frequently do mentors and mentees meet?
BCS expects mentors and mentees to meet for at least four 1-hour sessions over the period of 12 months. More frequent meetings are optional but may be necessary to review and discuss a particular topic e.g., the benefit of a change in role, an overseas opportunity, or the value of an available training course.
Sessions can be in-person, by phone or via Teams or similar online platforms. The BCS Annual Conference also offers a convenient venue for getting together over coffee or lunch.
Keep in mind that mentoring doesn’t necessarily require large amounts of time. The most important thing is to discuss mutual expectations about time and communication at the start of the mentoring relationship.
We recommend that mentors and mentees to use the ‘My Connections’ tab in the mentoring platform to ensure all sessions and connections are recorded.
What are the expectations for participating in the scheme?
Mentors are usually assigned one to two mentees.
Mentors and mentees are matched through our mentoring platform. Once matched, new mentors are expected to complete a short mentoring training session provided by BCS.
Mentors and mentees are expected to meet (virtually or in-person) for four one-hour sessions over 12 months. Communication between sessions is encouraged.
The four sessions should be logged using the scheduling tool, which can be found under the ‘My Connections’ tab on the mentoring platform.
Mentoring doesn’t necessarily require a large time commitment – brief messages, phone calls or emails can make a big difference.
Both mentors and mentees are expected to provide feedback on their mentoring experience.
Will I receive a certificate?
A certificate will be issued to mentors and mentees who complete one year of mentoring.
To enable BCS to issue the certificate, all four expected mentoring sessions must be logged in the scheduling tool so that participation can be confirmed.
If you have any questions about the BCS Mentoring Scheme or any concerns regarding your mentoring connection, please email us at [email protected].