Hi, I’m Naabil khan.

I'm a medical student studying in the UK with a passion for representation and diversity in healthcare and medical education. This website is a way of embracing the diversity of the populations we face and ensuring students and the public feel welcome, informed and confident.

Why I Started This Website: In the summer of 2023 after my second year, I decided to create my website and non-for-profit, Skin for All. My primary goal was to ensure everyone felt seen, heard, and respected. I saw it as a love letter to humanity, demonstrating that anyone can make a change. I prioritised making the content accessible and relatable, compartmentalising different areas of the website to simplify technical jargon for everyday people while still providing detailed information on common signs and symptoms, necessary investigations, and suggested management plans for medical students. 

Impact can be measured in many methods and take on many forms, from the stats and slides we saw during the pandemic to the experiences and emotions of the people we interact with. The impact of the website isn't measured by numbers or followers but by the human lives it touches. Hearing stories and feedback from students stating that it “aided their learning” on subjects that were “overlooked in the past” and that “the acute attention to detail and awareness” helped “bridge the gap in healthcare disparities” as well as members of the public stating that this work is “incredibly necessary” highlighting “why representation matters”.

A Bit About Me: I am a fourth year medical student studying at the University of Exeter. As well as completing a medical degree, I am a podcast host of the show Very Junior Doctors, the creator of the website, Skin For All, founder of the newsletter Future Dr and activist for representation and diversity in healthcare and medical education. My impact is based on diversifying the medical curriculum, public involvement in medicine and ensuring that the conversation surrounding representation and diversity in medicine continues to be had and impactful results are witnessed. 

I am actively involved in various initiatives to raise awareness about Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic issues as well as presenting to the British Medical Association (BMA) Student Conference in 2023, the University of Exeter and platforms like Future Frontline on decolonising healthcare.

I spoke on a panel at the Exeter Respect Festival launch when I delved into the racial inequities seen in medical education and the impact this has had on perspectives within the NHS and medical school. As well as national/local speaker events, I have spoken in Brussels at the MedCup as a motivator for over 100 medical students who learnt about my experience with representation and advocacy in medical education. 

I am committed to helping my peers experience an inclusive, representative learning environment; now seen with the introduction of the Future Dr Newsletter which aims to make Medical opportunities more accessible to students. I want to leave a lasting impact on my community, not only within the Exeter region, but within the medical community internationally. My work has already been recognised, with my recent nomination as finalist for the Bright Network Impact Awards, and Exeter Guild awards as well as being made winner of the 2023 BMBS Citizenship, Rising Star in Healthcare Award by wearethecity and the 2024 Racial Justice in Medicine prize awarded by the American Medical Students Association; making her the first British medical student to have received this award

My Mission: I am a strong advocate for the sentiment, ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’ and that is my mission. In the medical field, it is so important that patients and students are equipped with accurate, and equal knowledge about the topics that affect them. Therefore, I want to help build a future where people are represented and supported. My commitment to creating a more equitable and accessible healthcare system has also been witnessed with the creation of Skin For All, an online educational platform that represents the most commonly seen skin conditions on various skin tones.

The platform has collected a respectable audience while capturing the attention of the local Exeter audience and the wider national/international community. Diversity is at the heart of this website with the use of inclusive language, questions to help the public and detailed disease profiles to contribute to medical students’ learning.

The platform has received high praise with many students having said Skin For All is a “Fantastic website aimed at a really important topic” and “on the same level as the award winning Mind The Gap”; as well as members of the public stating it is “very well-rounded and comprehensive, especially with the usage of non-medical language”. I have also written my first self-published 200 page e-book, Skin For All, which I have researched and designed solely to raise awareness about representation in medical education as well as influence others to carry out similar activities. 

How to use the website

  • In the descriptions, keywords are used to familiarise medical students with common phrases/words that can be heard on placement and seen in exam questions. The public can use this description to gain a clear and accessible summary of these conditions before delving into the more detailed elements of disease profiles.

  • This elements is mainly aimed at medical students who can use it in case studies, problem based learning and to understand general prevalence of conditions. They range in areas affected across the globe with studies and reports gained from organisations such as the WHO.

  • This has been split into two parts according to the level of medical knowledge held by the user. One being for medical students (early and later years) and the other focusing on “patients” who may have the condition, knows someone who has the condition or wants to know more. Medical jargon is defined for non-medical users and simplified sentences are written to improve accessibility to the website’s content.

  • The images used were chosen to represent multiple skin tones and types. It also includes a variety of condition stages to understand how these conditions impact differently on a range of skin tones.

  • This has been split into two parts according to the level of medical knowledge held by the user. One being for medical students (early and later years) and the other focusing on “patients” who may have the condition, knows someone who has the condition or wants to know more. Medical jargon is defined for non-medical users and simplified sentences are written to improve accessibility to the website’s content.

  • These are included to clear misinformation and support users as much as possible. This also allows the user to research further into conditions they are interested in with helpful and relevant links.

  • Based on conversations, the use of questions for each condition has proven useful for everyone. By providing a list of recommended questions, the consultations with doctors can also be less intimidating and more structured and informative to the patient/individual

  • These links allow users to delve into further reading and support surrounding the conditions mentioned on the website.

  • Donating to this website means that you can help maintain it through the subscription fee required by Squarespace (£12 a month). Allowing more people to use the website and benefit from its content.