Kamlesh Khunti

Kamlesh Khunti CBE
Alma mater	University of Dundee
Employer	University of Leicester

Kamlesh Khunti CBE is a British physician who is Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester. His research considers diabetes and public health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Khunti studied the impact of COVID-19 on people living with diabetes. He served on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). He is the director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration East Midlands.[1]

Early life and education

Khunti spent his childhood in Leicester.[2] He studied medicine at the University of Dundee and started working as a General practitioner in Leicester in 1990.[3] He was regularly named as one of the most influential GPs in the United Kingdom.[2][4]

Research and career

Khunti specialises in Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.[5] His career in medical research began in the late nineties.[5] He established the Leicester Diabetes Centre with Melanie Davies.[6][7] He was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and a professor at the University of Leicester in 2017.[8] He is particularly focussed on reducing health inequalities. He was awarded the 2019 South Asian Health Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award[9] for his efforts to enhance the medical outcomes of South Asians. His research informed international guidelines[4][10] for diabetes screening and management.[11][12]

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Khunti studied the impact of COVID-19 on people from ethnic minority backgrounds[13][14] and people living with disabilities.[15][16] He also studied the effectiveness of various types of face masks or primary health professionals.[15] He served on the independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies from 2020 to 2021.[17]

Khunti was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to health.[18][19][6]

Selected publications

• Ali S; Stone MA; Peters JL; Davies MJ; Khunti K (1 November 2006). "The prevalence of co-morbid depression in adults with Type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis". Diabetic Medicine. 23 (11): 1165–1173. doi:10.1111/J.1464-5491.2006.01943.X. ISSN 0742-3071. PMID 17054590. Wikidata Q36630078.
• Clare L Gillies; Keith R Abrams; Paul C Lambert; Nicola J Cooper; Alex J Sutton; Ron T Hsu; Kamlesh Khunti (19 January 2007). "Pharmacological and lifestyle interventions to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance: systematic review and meta-analysis". The BMJ. 334 (7588): 299. doi:10.1136/BMJ.39063.689375.55. ISSN 0959-8138. PMC 1796695. PMID 17237299. Wikidata Q30829257.
• Patrice Carter; Laura J Gray; Jacqui Troughton; Kamlesh Khunti; Melanie J Davies (18 August 2010). "Fruit and vegetable intake and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus: systematic review and meta-analysis". The BMJ. 341 (aug18 4): c4229. doi:10.1136/BMJ.C4229. ISSN 0959-8138. PMC 2924474. PMID 20724400. Wikidata Q24630267.

References

1. "ARC EM Director given lifetime achievement award for efforts to boost South Asian health". arc-em.nihr.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
2. maheronline. "Dr Kamlesh Khunti voted one of UK's best GPs". Maheronline. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
3. "Doctor among first to spot Covid effects on ethnic minorities made a CBE". Largs and Millport Weekly News. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
4. "'Most influential' diabetes GP named". The Diabetes Times. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
5. "Professor Kamlesh Khunti awarded CBE in New Year Honours 2022". le.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
6. "Doctor who saw Covid impact on minorities honoured". BBC News. 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
7. "Who We Are". Leicester Diabetes Centre. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
8. [e-mail] (28 April 2016). "Three members of SAPC elected as Fellows of Academy of Medical Sciences". SAPC. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
9. "ARC EM Director given lifetime achievement award for efforts to boost South Asian health". arc-em.nihr.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
10. "Managing Multimorbidity | arc-em.nihr.ac.uk". arc-em.nihr.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
11. "NHS England » Kamlesh Khunti". www.england.nhs.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
12. "NHS England » Type 2 diabetes: improving awareness of insulin management in the South Asian population". www.england.nhs.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
13. Khunti, Kamlesh; Singh, Awadhesh Kumar; Pareek, Manish; Hanif, Wasim (20 April 2020). "Is ethnicity linked to incidence or outcomes of covid-19?". BMJ. 369: m1548. doi:10.1136/bmj.m1548. ISSN 1756-1833. PMID 32312785. S2CID 215818126.
14. "Diabetes professor recognised as one of Britain's top influential figures". The Diabetes Times. 19 August 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
15. "Professor Kamlesh Khunti | University of Leicester". le.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
16. "Why are more people from BAME backgrounds dying from coronavirus?". BBC News. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
17. "Who are we? | Independent SAGE". Retrieved 1 January 2022.
18. "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N9.
19. "The 2022 New Year's Honours list in full, and what the different ranks mean". inews.co.uk. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.