Ilfita Sahbudin BM, MSc, PhD, MRCP, CCT (Rheumatology)

• Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), Rheumatology, 2023
• Speciality Certificate Examination (SCE), Rheumatology, Royal College of Physicians, 2022
• PhD, University of Birmingham, 2020
• MSc in Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (Distinction), Bournemouth University, 2014
• Member the Royal College of Physicians , 2010
• Bachelor of Medicine (Distinction in BM Primary), University of Southampton, 2007

Ilfita obtained a Bachelor of Medicine (Distinction in Primary Examination) from the University of Southampton in 2007 and completed her Foundation Training in the Wessex Deanery before moving to the West Midlands Deanery to take up Core Medical Training (2009) and Rheumatology Specialty Training (2011) posts.  Ilfita trained in musculoskeletal ultrasound and obtained An MSc in Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (Distinction) from University of Bournemouth (2014) which she completed alongside her ST4-5 training.

Ilfita joined the Rheumatology Research Group as a clinical research fellow funded by Versus Arthritis UK in 2014 to commence her PhD with Professors Andrew Filer and Karim Raza. Her PhD work centred around three themes: 1) the role of ultrasound-detected tendon inflammation in patients with inflammatory arthritis, 2) defining threshold of normal ultrasound in rheumatology, and 3) defining therapeutic window-of-opportunity in rheumatoid arthritis. She took up a Clinical Lecturer post in the Rheumatology Research Group at the University of Birmingham in 2017 and obtained her Certificate Completion of Training (Rheumatology) in March 2023.

During her PhD she has won multiple prestigious prizes, including Eric Bywaters Prize, Royal Society of Medicine (twice), Barbara Ansell Prize, Royal Society of Medicine and Stephen Whittaker Prize, West Midlands Physician Association.  She has also presented her work as an oral presentation at six national and three international meetings and was invited to speak at the Rheumatology European Conference (EULAR) in 2019. In her role as an OMERACT Ultrasound fellow, she led the collaboration of 23 international recruitment centres in the ‘Ultrasound Minimal Disease’ study. She also co-authors the ‘Ultrasound in Rheumatoid Arthritis’ chapter, Oxford Textbook of Rheumatoid Arthritis (May 2020, ISBN 978-9-19-883143-3).

Ilfita strongly advocates the use of rheumatology ultrasound to improve the quality of care for patients with chronic inflammatory arthritis. Ilfita has developed new synovitis ultrasound services in rheumatology departments during her specialist training. She is passionate about ultrasound training, especially for trainees. Ilfita was an ultrasound trainer for the Bournemouth University Ultrasound Masterclass and BSR National Ultrasound courses and provided hands-on training to clinical research fellows at the Rheumatology Research Group, University of Birmingham.

Ilfita currently serves as the Associate Editor in Rheumatology, Clinical Medicine Journal, Royal College of Physicians, London (2023 – present) and was a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the NIHR / Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, University Hospitals Birmingham, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (2017- 2024). In 2018, she was selected to join the Emerging Leader programme as part of the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) collaboration.

Ilfita is also keen to improve representation in research and is a member of the Athena SWAN Taskforce, University of Birmingham (2017- ), and was part of the team developing the successful MDS Athena Swan Silver Award (2020). She was also the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Institute deputy representative, Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham (2017- 2022).

Ilfita has been awarded the NIHR Development and Skills Enhancement (DSE) Fellowship in October 2024 to develop her research programme in AI rheumatology ultrasound.

• Medicine and Surgery MBChB
  
• Medical Science BMedSc - Intercalated Degree
• Pharmacy MPharm (4-year)

Ilfita welcomes enquiries from prospective students interested in any areas of her research.

Research interests

Ilfita's main research interest is developing novel ultrasound tools to enhance access to point-of-care ultrasound in rheumatology clinical practice and optimise ultrasound imaging in rheumatology clinical trials. She aims to capitalise on AI technology to develop a simplified ultrasound tool to enable minimally-trained healthcare professionals to scan safely.

Current projects

1. Identifying the therapeutic window of opportunity in early arthritis.
2. Identifying the role of ultrasound in the prediction of disease outcome and flare and disease monitoring in rheumatoid arthritis.
3. Defining the threshold of ultrasound normality in rheumatology.
4. Developing simplified ultrasound tools using AI-assistive technology.

Book chapter:

• 1. Ultrasound in Rheumatoid Arthritis chapter; Oxford Textbook of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Filer A, D'Agostino MA, Sahbudin I*, Oxford University Press, first edition, May 2020. ISBN 978-9-19-883143-3 

• Associate Editor, Clinical Medicine Journal, Royal College of Physicians, London (2023 – present)
• Scientific Advisory Committee member of the NIHR / Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, University Hospitals Birmingham, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (2017- 2024)
• Emerging Leaders Programme, Outcome Measures in Rheumatology OMERACT (2018 – present)
• British Society of Rheumatology, Ultrasound Special Interest Group, Trainee Representative, (2015- 2024), member (2024 -)
• European Rheumatology Young Investigators Network (EMEUNET) trainee representative, EULAR Task Force, Points to consider on risk stratification of populations for RA prevention studies (2021- present)·
• National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit; British Society of Rheumatology, Project Working Group, Trainee representative, (2021- present)

Equality Diversity and Inclusion

• Athena SWAN Taskforce member, University of Birmingham (2017- present)
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Institute deputy representative, Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham (2017- 2022)