Kamlesh Khunti is a British physician who is Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

. His research considers diabetes and public health. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Khunti studied the impact of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

on people living with diabetes. He served on the

Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) is a British Government body that advises central government in emergencies. It is usually chaired by the United Kingdom's Chief Scientific Adviser, currently Sir Patrick Vallance. Specialis ...

(SAGE). He is the director of the

National Institute for Health and Care Research The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is the British government’s major funder of clinical, public health, social care and translational research. With a budget of over £1.2 billion in 2020–21, its mission is to "impr ...

(NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration East Midlands.

Early life and education

Khunti spent his childhood in Leicester. He studied medicine at the

University of Dundee The University of Dundee; . Abbreviated as ''Dund.'' for post-nominals. is a public university, public research university based in Dundee, Scotland. It was founded as a University college#United Kingdom, university college in 1881 with a donation ...

and started working as a General practitioner in Leicester in 1990. He was regularly named as one of the most influential GPs in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Research and career

Khunti specialises in

Type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, ...

and cardiovascular disease. His career in medical research began in the late nineties. He established the Leicester Diabetes Centre with Melanie Davies. He was elected a Fellow of the

Academy of Medical Sciences The Academy of Medical Sciences is an organisation established in the UK in 1998. It is one of the four UK National Academies, the others being the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society. Its mission is to adv ...

and a professor at the

in 2017. He is particularly focussed on reducing health inequalities. He was awarded the 2019 South Asian Health Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award for his efforts to enhance the medical outcomes of South Asians. His research informed international guidelines for diabetes screening and management. Throughout the

, Khunti studied the impact of

on people from ethnic minority backgrounds and people living with disabilities. He also studied the effectiveness of various types of face masks or primary health professionals. He served on the independent

from 2020 to 2021. Khunti was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) in the

2022 New Year Honours The 2022 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations ...

for services to health.

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khunti, Kamlesh 21st-century English medical doctors British general practitioners Academics of the University of Leicester Alumni of the University of Dundee Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Living people Year of birth missing (living people) People from Leicester NIHR Senior Investigators