Kiran Haresh Kumar Patel

Object one: stethoscope

My research is looking at the effects of obesity on cardiac arrhythmias. Cardiac arrhythmia is a term that describes an abnormal heart rhythm. Some of these can be fairly well tolerated, but a small fraction, not an insignificant amount, can be life threatening arrhythmias. And we know that with increasing weight and increasing adiposity, that is increasing fat tissue, it is detrimental to health for a number of reasons. But more recently, over the past decade or so, it's come to light that actually the amount of volume of fat that you have, in particular, the amount of fat that you have around your heart, is bad for your heart health. So aside from increasing the risk of things like heart attacks, causing inflammation of the blood vessels that supply your heart muscle, it also increases your risk of common heart rhythm abnormalities, and some of these can be life threatening. What's interesting here is if, and how, weight reduction would mitigate any of that risk in patients who don't have a history of cardiac arrhythmias. In other words, people who have never had heart rhythm problems. We want to ask the question whether weight reduction in these people may help reverse any abnormal changes of the heart, and thereby try to prevent them getting any heart rhythm problems in the future.

This is what we call a primary preventative strategy, what we mean by that is trying to help people prevent something happening before it happens, even when they don't have a disease yet. And that's really important from a public health point of view, because there's been increasing focus on this kind of strategy to help empower people to make changes in their lifestyle, to prevent them getting a disease in the first place, which is obviously better. Because once you've got the disease it often becomes very difficult to make that go away completely. Often we end up treating chronic diseases, for which there isn’t a long term lifelong treatment, and there are many things that we can't actually cure. Because for the majority of people with obesity this is a lifestyle driven disease we figured we’d investigate this to try to show that by losing weight, you can actually remodel your heart, the electrics of your heart, which will be a compelling thing to show. From a public health point of view it could support weight reduction strategies that we already have in place. Then from an academic, clinical, and cardiologist perspective, it would best serve our patients in terms of reducing cardiac arrhythmias.

Object two: saxophone

I've grown up with music from a young age. I think that was partly through the encouragement from my parents for me to learn a skill which has been helpful academically. I think music complements academic learning quite well. And I do enjoy playing music. Admittedly, over the past few years, I've played less with work commitments - and maybe a little bit of laziness! But I do enjoy it. I think it's a good respite doing something you enjoy. I think going back, I probably would have liked to have played more for leisure, instead I was playing to pass exams.

Music gives you a break from the work that you do on a day to day basis, it is this kind of release, and everyone needs something that they turn to, to give them a respite from their work, which can be quite stressful at times.

Object three: prayer beads

My spirituality has always been important to me from a young age. And I think that's partly engendered through my family roots and my cultural background. I think it speaks to what I said about music, everyone has something that they turn to outside of their working lives. Which is where they find their confidence - and that happens to be my religion for me. Some people enjoy sport, or going out perhaps, and my spirituality has always been something that I can fall back on as a source of comfort, but also inspires confidence in me. I think it's quite a personal thing, but it's been my bedrock and continues to be my inspiration.

When Covid-19 came along, in all communities from whichever background, whatever faith or non, everyone pulled together. As we all realised the gravity of the situation going on and unfolding globally, which was unprecedented in anyone’s lifetime. Everyone was willing to see what they can do to help. And so I got a phone call from my local temple president in the week of the first wave saying how the temple would like to help by making a donation. It was just chance that they had my number, and contacted me. So I said I could make some inquiries at the local hospital, Northwick Park Hospital, which I've often worked at. All I did was to provide a hospital contact to the temple, and they facilitated the rest so I can't say that I did a huge amount, but the temple making a donation was gratefully received. I think the money went towards new equipment including ventilators and iPads. Because people weren't able to visit their loved ones then, and at that time the hospitals didn't have the kind of facilities for alternatives like FaceTime.

I was also asked to create a video encouraging people in the Hindu community, who would perhaps go to the temple, and the wider Punjabi community, to engage with Covid-19 vaccinations. So I recorded a short video in Gujarati, which is my native language. Someone from the Harrow council came along and filmed the video, it was a short video just encouraging people to take up the vaccination when they were available.

I quite enjoy helping where I can and doing what I can to volunteer on occasion. I think it's part of being in a community. It is important to me and I do take it quite seriously to give back wherever I can. It was nice to be able to do that.