Dr Narciss Okhravi Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and Director of Undergraduate Education

About me

Narciss is a GenerationQ Fellow, and Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and Director of Undergraduate Education at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

She qualified in 1989 from Royal London Medical School and has been a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon since January 2004. She obtained a PhD in Ophthalmology in 1999, Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education in 2010 and a Postgraduate Certificate in Leadership (Quality Improvement) in 2014.

Narciss was appointed to Moorfields as a Consultant in 2004 and took up her post as Director of Undergraduate Education at the same time. She specialises in medical retina and uveitis. She also served as Postgraduate Training Director for the medical retina and uveitis service from 2004-07.

She holds Honorary Senior Lecturer posts at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, is Associate Dean to Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary, University of London, is a fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the Academy of Medical Educators.

For Narciss, working closely with peers from across the health care system was a particularly valuable part of her fellowship. 'Even though we all had different backgrounds, we shared many of the same values, experiences and challenges. This enabled us to form a strong bond very quickly. It’s wonderful to have so many people to turn to for support – I know I can always pick up the phone and get some advice. It’s not necessarily about asking for answers, but having a sounding board to help you see things from another perspective.'

Narciss says that one of the most powerful insights that she gained through GenerationQ is about how important relationships are in leadership. 'I’ve developed a much deeper understanding of how people function. The theories we learn can help us make sense of what otherwise might seem chaotic and unrelated. In the past I sometimes felt frustrated if someone wasn’t responding or acting in the way I expected them to, but I’m now able to reflect on the reasons why this might be and change my approach, with better results. My vision as a leader is to enable the people I work with to be the best they can be.'

She adds that this approach extends to the medical undergraduates that she works with. 'As the undergraduate curriculum provides so little time for ophthalmology, I want to make sure that critical content is delivered in a memorable way. That means making it interactive and fun. Many of the medical students will go on to be GPs and equipping them with a sound knowledge base in ophthalmology is an important part of improving community-based care of eye disease.'