Mohammad Sharif Razai is a physician-scientist, writer and poet. Dr Razai graduated in medicine from University of Cambridge in 2014, and before that, he completed a BSc in Anatomy and Developmental Biology at University College London. 

Dr Razai has a wide range of research interests, including infectious diseases, ethnic health inequalities and medical humanities. In 2022, he graduated from Birkbeck University of London with a distinction in MA in Applied Medical Humanities. 

He was awarded the 2021 John Maddox Prize as an early career researcher by Sense about Science and Nature for his work on racial health inequalities. 

Dr Razai was awarded St George's University's excellence in public/civic engagement research award in 2021 for his work to tackle ethnic and societal health disparities and inequalities.

In 2020, Dr Razai received an award from Pulse Magazine for his work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He has worked as a doctor in the NHS since 2014. 

You can read his interview 'Meet the Researcher' here. 

Mohammad Sharif Razai is an Honorary Research Fellow in Primary Care at the Population Health Research Institute. His current research focuses on strategies and interventions to increase vaccine uptake in ethnically diverse pregnant women. 

Publications in 2024 

Razai MS, Majeed A. Physician associates working in primary care could worsen health inequalities BMJ 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q1684 

Razai MS, Berendes S, Nagraj S, Oakeshott P, Khalil A. As whooping cough rates rise, we urgently need to increase maternal vaccination rates BMJ 2024; 385 :q1289 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q1289

Razai MS, Mansour R, Ravindran P, Freeman S, Mason-Apps C, Morris J, et al. (2024) Facilitators and barriers to vaccination uptake in pregnancy: A qualitative systematic review. PLoS ONE 19(4): e0298407. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0298407

Publications in 2023

Razai MS, Rania Mansour, Lucy Goldsmith, et al. Interventions to increase vaccination against COVID-19, influenza and pertussis during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Journal of Travel Medicine, 2023; taad138, https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taad138 

Razai MS, Berry-Hart T, Tawakoli A, Ahmad A, Hargreaves S. Silent suffering of Afghanistan's LGBT+ community. The Lancet Global Health. 2023 Aug 15. DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(23)00316-9 

Razai MS, Mahmood A, Alizada B, Hargreaves S. Two years on from Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the Hazaras community is a neglected people at risk of genocide. BMJ. 2023 Aug 15;382:p1888. doi: 10.1136/bmj.p1888. 

Razai MS, Trinder B, Perry A, Cauldwell M, Reid F, Oakeshott P (2023) Encouraging brisk walking with the free Active10 app in postnatal women who had a hypertensive pregnancy: “Just Walk It” feasibility study. PLoS ONE 18(2): e0282066. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282066 

Mansour R, Houston A, Majeed A, Boum Y, Nakouné E, Razai M S. Human monkeypox: diagnosis and management BMJ 2023; 380 :e073352 doi:10.1136/bmj-2022-073352

Razai MS, Kooner P, Majeed A. Strategies and Interventions to Improve Healthcare Professionals' Well-Being and Reduce Burnout. J Prim Care Community Health. 2023 Jan-Dec;14:21501319231178641. doi: 10.1177/21501319231178641.

Publications in 2022 

Rallapalli S, Razai MS, Majeed A, Drysdale SB. Diagnosis and management of monkeypox in primary care. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 2022 Nov 7:01410768221131914.

Husain F, Powys VR, White E, Jones R, Goldsmith LP, Heath PT, Oakeshott P, Razai MS. COVID-19 vaccination uptake in 441 socially and ethnically diverse pregnant women. PLoS One. 2022 Aug 17;17(8):e0271834. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271834.

Magee L, Knights F, Mckechnie DGJ, Al-Bedaery R, Razai MS. Facilitators and barriers to COVID-19 vaccination uptake among ethnic minorities: A qualitative study in primary care. PLoS One. 2022 Jul 8;17(7):e0270504. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270504.

Goldsmith LP, Rowland-Pomp M, ...Razai MS et al. Use of social media platforms by migrant and ethnic minority populations during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review BMJ Open 2022;12:e061896. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061896

Mansour R, Rallapalli S, Baidwan HK, Razai MS, Abou-Abbas L (2022) Knowledge and experience of physicians during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A global cross-sectional study. PLOS Glob Public Health 2(7): e0000639. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000639 

Paul E, Fancourt D, Razai MS. Racial discrimination, low trust in the health system and COVID-19 vaccine uptake: a longitudinal observational study of 633 UK adults from ethnic minority groups. J R Soc Med. 2022 May 5:1410768221095241. doi: 10.1177/01410768221095241.

Razai MS, Majeed A. General Practice in England: The Current Crisis, Opportunities, and Challenges. J Ambul Care Manage. 2022 Apr-Jun 01;45(2):135-139. doi: 10.1097/JAC.0000000000000410.

Razai MS, Oakeshott P. More healthcare consumption is not the answer to our ailments. BMJ. 2022 Nov 23;379.

Razai MS, McKechnie D, Rao M, Majeed A. Now is the time for radical action on racial health inequalities. BMJ. 2022 Feb 17;376:o424. doi: 10.1136/bmj.o424. PMID: 35177403.

Razai MS, Playdon Z. What is wrong with playing doctor? BMJ. 2022 Mar 18;376. 

Husain F, Razai MS. Ethnic disparities in fertility care: causes and solutions. Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Reproductive Medicine. 2022 Sep 5

Razai MS. How to care for transgender patients. Pulse Magazine. August 2022. 

Razai MS. The trouble with single-issue campaigns. Pulse Magazine. May 2022.

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Selected publications 

Razai MS, Al-Bedaery R, Anand L, Fitch K, Okechukwu H, Saraki TM, Oakeshott P. Patients' Experiences of "Long COVID" in the Community and Recommendations for Improving Services: A Quality Improvement Survey. J Prim Care Community Health. doi: 10.1177/21501327211041846. 

Razai MS, Oakeshott P, Esmail A, Wiysonge CS, Viswanath K, Mills MC. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: the five Cs to tackle behavioural and sociodemographic factors. J R Soc Med. 2021 Jun;114(6):295-298. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n861

Etti M, Fofie H, Razai MS, Crawshaw AF, Hargreaves S, Goldsmith LP. Ethnic minority and migrant underrepresentation in Covid-19 research: Causes and solutions. EClinicalMedicine. 2021 Jun;36:100903. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.100903.

Razai MS, Chaudhry UAR, Doerholt K, Bauld L, Majeed A. Covid-19 vaccination hesitancy. BMJ. 2021 May 20;373:n1138. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1138 

Osama T, Razai MS, Majeed A. Covid-19 vaccine passports: access, equity, and ethics. BMJ. 2021 Apr 1;373:n861. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n861

Kankam H, Lenti L, Razai MS, Hourston G, Khatib M. The role of simulation in training breast surgeons: a systematic review. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2021 May;103(5):318-323.  10.1308/rcsann.2020.7138. ​ 

Osama TA, Razai MS, Majeed A. COVID-19 vaccine allocation: addressing the United Kingdom’s colour –blind strategy. J R Soc Med. 2021. Mar. https://doi.org/10.1177/01410768211001581

Razai MS, Osama TA, Mckechnie DGJ, Majeed A. Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy among ethnic minority groups. BMJ 2021; 372. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n513  

Razai MS, Kankam HKN, Majeed A, Esmail A, Williams DR. Mitigating ethnic disparities in covid-19 and beyond. BMJ 2021;372:m4921. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m4921 

Razai MS. Racism at the GMC - it is time to take action. BMJ. June 2021. https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/07/15/racism-at-the-gmc-it-is-time-to-take-action/ 

Razai MS, Doerholt K, Galiza E, Oakeshott P. Tick bite. BMJ. 2020;370:m3029. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3029 

Razai MS, Oakeshott P, Kankam HKN, Stokes-Lampard H. Mitigating the psychological effects of social isolation during the covid-19 pandemic. BMJ. 2020;369:m1904. Published 2020 May 21. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1904

Razai MS, Doerholt K, et al.  Coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19): a guide for UK GPs. BMJ 2020; 368:m800. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m800

Osama T, Hodes S, Razai MS, Majeed A. Boosting the nation against covid-19: are the vaccination targets feasible? BMJ. 2021 Dec 15;375:n3094. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n3094. PMID: 34911679.

Bowman D, Huxtable R, Razai M, Gallagher A. Towards ethical preparedness: Regulators' responses to ethical issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurs Ethics. 2021 Sep;28(6):837-839. doi: 10.1177/09697330211043325. PMID: 34463185.

Razai MS. Recurrent anencephalic stillbirths: A rare case presentation. Int J Health Sci (Qassim). 2019 Jan-Feb;13(1):61-62. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6392488/

Razai MS. The Great Training Robbery. British Journal of General Practice 2019 Feb;69(679):77. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp19X701021.

Razai MS. The Two Cultures. MedEdPublish; 2018. DOI: 10.15694/mep.2018.0000174.1.

Razai MS. Truth-telling to a cancer patient about poor prognosis: A clinical case report in cross-cultural communication. Clinical Ethics 2018 June. 13(3):14775091877930. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477750918779303

Razai MS. Patient Experiences of Terminal Illness Toward the End of Life. Journal of Patient Experience. March 2018. https://doi.org/10.1177/2374373518759549

Razai MS, Hussain K. Improving antimicrobial prescribing practice for sore throat symptoms in a general practice setting. BMJ Quality Improvement Report. 2017 Apr 27;6(1). DOI:10.1136/bmjquality.u211706. w4738.

Razai MS, Jackson DJ, et al. The capacity of eye care services for patients with glaucoma in Botswana. Ophthalmic Epidemiology. 2015;22(6):403-8. https://doi.org/10.3109/09286586.2015.1010689

Jackson DJ, Razai MS, et al. The clinical characteristics of patients with glaucoma presenting to Botswana healthcare facilities: an observational study. BMJ Open 2014: 4:e005965. DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005965

Razai MS. (2019) Prognostic Paralysis: why do doctors shirk the difficult questions? Journal of Medical Ethics 26 February 2019. Available from: https://blogs.bmj.com/medical-ethics/2019/02/26/prognostic-paralysis-why-do-doctors-shirk-the-difficult-questions/  [Accessed 21 April 2020]

Razai MS. (2019) Leçon De Ténèbres. Journal of Medical Humanities 6 May 2019.  Available from: https://blogs.bmj.com/medical-humanities/2019/05/06/lecons-de-tenebres/  [Accessed 21 April 2020]

Razai MS. (2019) How Reality Hit Home as a Junior Doctor Resuscitating a Drowned Child. Journal of Medical Humanities 29 April 2019. Available from: https://blogs.bmj.com/medical-humanities/2019/04/29/how-reality-hit-home-as-a-junior-doctor-resuscitating-a-drowned-child/ [Accessed 21 April 2020]

Razai MS, what do trainee doctors and their trainers say about workplace-based assessments? A survey of UK based junior doctors and their supervisors in a rural hospital. MedEdPublish, 2017, 6, [4], DOI: https://doi.org/10.15694/mep.2017.000174 [Accessed 21 April 2020]

Razai M, Is equality and diversity training with roleplayers reinforcing negative racial stereotypes? MedEdPublish, 2016, 5, [3], 64, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.15694/mep.2016.000150 [Accessed 21 April 2020]

Razai MS. (2016) Ending Tuberculosis in Afghanistan: working together towards a common goal. Public Library of Science 27 June 2016. Available from: http://blogs.plos.org/speakingofmedicine/2016/06/27/ending-tuberculosis-in-afghanistan-working-together-towards-a-common-goal/ [Accessed 21 April 2020]

Razai MS. (2016) Afghanistan's tobacco problem. The Lancet Global Health Blog. 22 April 2016. Page 261. Available from: https://marlin-prod.literatumonline.com/pb-assets/Lancet/langlo/TLGH_Blogs_2013-2018.pdf [Accessed 21 April 2020]

Razai MS. (2016) What we have learnt from our work in Botswana. BMJ Blogs. 23 March 2016. Available from: http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2016/03/23/mohammad-razai-what-have-we-learnt-from-our-work-in-botswana/ [Accessed 21 April 2020]

Razai MS, Jackson, DJ. (2012) Lessons from Botswana. The University of Cambridge Research. 17 October 2012. Available from: http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/discussion/lessons-from-botswana [Accessed 21 April 2020] 

NIHR In-Practice Fellowship in Primary Care 2021 - 2024

Sean Hilton Funds, Population Health Research, St George's University of London 2022

Academic Clinical Fellowship 2019 - 2021 

Internal Collaborations

Professor Pippa Oakeshott, Professor Sally Hargreaves, Professor Michael Ussher, Professor Paul Heath, Dr Katja Doerholt, Dr Lucy Goldsmith, Dr Umar Chaudhry, Dr Roaa Al-bedaery, Dr Felicity Knights, Rania Mansour

External Collaborations

Professor Azeem Majeed (Imperial College London)

Professor David Williams (Harvard University)

Professor Kasisomayajula Viswanath (Harvard University) 

Professor Aneez Esmail (University of Manchester)

Professor Emmanuel Nakoune (Institut Pasteur) 

Professor Ya Boum (Epicenter Africa)

Dr Charles Shey Wiysonge (Stellenbosch University) 

Dr Elise Paul (University College London)

Dr Doug Mckechnie (University College London)

Dr Fatima Husain (Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust)

Dr Faraz Mughal (Keele University) 

Dr Tasnime Osama (Imperial College London) 

Dr Michiyo Iwami (Imperial College London) 

Dr Hadyn Kankam (University of Birmingham) 

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. 

I am the lead educator for two Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on the FutureLearn Platform and an educator for a COVID-19 course for Africa. 

• Lyme Disease: Prevention and Management - FutureLearn

• Managing COVID-19 in Primary Care - FutureLearn 

• COVID-19 in Africa: Managing the Outbreak in Primary Care Settings - FutureLearn 

I teach the clinical epidemiology Case Analysis Project in T-year of MBBS at St George's University of London. I also teach and supervise medical students and physician associates in primary care clinical settings.