Professor Adnan Sharif MD MBChB FRCP (Edin)

• Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (Edin), 2019
• Doctor of Medicine (MD), Cardiff University, May 2011 
• Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB), University of Edinburgh Medical School, 2002

Professor Adnan Sharif was born in Cardiff, Wales. His undergraduate training was at the University of Edinburgh (1997-2002) and underwent his medical training in Cardiff before studying for his higher research degree in the field of post-transplantation diabetes at Cardiff University (awarded 2007). He underwent his nephrology training in Birmingham before completing his training with an observership at Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, USA) in 2011. Professor Sharif took up his Consultant Nephrologist post at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in 2011 with a special interest in kidney transplantation but clinical responsibility in all aspects of nephrology.

He currently holds Honorary Professor status in the School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology at the University of Birmingham with an active research focus. Professor Sharif is currently Chief Investigator on several research studies and clinical trials in the field of nephrology, diabetes and transplantation (e.g. CAVIAR, FITNESS, AGEING and EpCOT). He has authored >180 peer reviewed publications and contributed to several book chapters as author or editor. He is senior author on national and international guidelines in the field of post-transplantation diabetes and is an active member of the joint committee group involving the UK Kidney Association and Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (UKKA-ABCD), which provides professional guidance on a range of diabetes and kidney disease issues. He has been an invited speaker at major national and international congresses including the British Transplantation Society, UK Kidney Week, European Renal Association, European Society for Organ Transplantation, The Transplantation Society and the American Transplant Congress.

Professor Sharif served two terms on the Board of Trustees for Kidney Research UK and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Global Kidney Foundation and Give A Kidney, a registered charity that promotes non-directed altruistic kidney donation. Professor Sharif served as Council member of the British Transplantation Society representing Transplant Nephrology (2019-2022) and currently serves as Councillor representing EDI. Professor Sharif has been appointed Co-Director of the UK Organ Donation and Transplant Research Network (UKODTRN). Professor Sharif is also a member of the National BAME Transplantation Alliance that seeks to promote blood, stem cell and organ donation from minority ethnic groups in the UK. Finally, he has supported the All-Party Parliamentary Kidney group that promotes kidney health issues at Westminster.

In addition to his clinical and research interests, Professor Sharif is Secretary of the non-Government Organization Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH) which campaigns against illegal and unethical organ procurement around the globe. The group was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016, 2017 & 2024 and received the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice in 2019.

Professor Sharif has supported numerous educational courses. Within the University he has set up CPD events exploring post-transplantation issues, while he has supported external educational events including being an expert speaker on the Advanced Nephrology course from the UK Kidney Association since 2017, the European Society of Organ Transplantation Transplant Live education course, the UCL renal transplantation course since 2022 and the Guy’s transplantation course since 2021.

Professor Sharif has been a supervisor for 10 BMedSci students from University of Birmingham undertaking intercalated degrees since 2015. He been lead supervisor for 2 MSc and 1 PhD students to completion. He currently supervises 2 PhD students.

Professor Sharif maintains an active research interest and consistently demonstrates his ability to produce high quality research in a variety of fields. Professor Sharif contributes to, and independently develops, research themes that complement the existing research framework within the nephrology and transplantation department at QEHB and the interface with the University, with the design, development and delivery of translational and clinical research studies. His current research interests are broad and include:

Clinical trials
Professor Sharif has been Chief Investigator on several randomised controlled trials which currently include Comparing Glycaemic Benefits of Active Versus Passive Lifestyle Intervention in Kidney Allograft Recipients [CAVIAR] and AGe-adapted benefits of Envarsus versus twice-daily tacrolimus ImmunosuppressioN druGs after kidney transplantation [AGEING]. He is also Principial Investigator on several academic and commercial trials. He serves on Executive Steering Committees for commercial trial designs and has worked for both Trial Steering and Data Monitoring Committees to support academic studies.

Observational Studies
Professor Sharif is Chief Investigator of Frailty Intervention Trial in End-Stage Patients on Dialysis (FITNESS), which has studied the impact of frailty on haemodialysis patients in a prospective cohort study.

Transplant Epidemiology
Professor Sharif is Chief Investigator of the Epidemiology of Cancer After Solid Organ Transplantation (EpCOT) study, which is a big data project combining several national datasets from England to create one of the largest national record linked datasets of solid organ transplant recipients. Designed to study the epidemiology of post-transplant cancer, it has tremendous potential to study a range of post-transplant complications through its linkage to all hospital episodes.

Ethics and Policy
Professor Sharif has contributed and influenced organ donation policy and organ utilisation with his publications in areas such as presumed consent, organ donation strategies and risk psychology.