Professor Azhar Farooqi qualified from the University of Manchester Medical School in 1983, and has been a GP at the East Leicester Medical Practice since 1987. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in 1991. Professor Farooqi’s main research interests have been in diabetes and ethnic minority health issues. He has published around 100 peer reviewed papers, as well as a book on diabetes in primary care and several book chapters. National work has included advisory work for Diabetes UK, the British Heart Foundation and Department of Health. In 2007 Professor Farooqi was awarded the OBE for services to medicine and health services. In 2011 he was elected by Leicester GPs to chair the Leicester City Clinical Commissioning Group. He was re-elected three times and served in this role up to the formation of the LLR ICS IN 2022. His other roles include Clinical Director of the EM CRN (NIHR), and co-Clinical Director of the NHSE Midlands Diabetes and Vascular clinical network.