Local Doctor Voted World's Best Medical Examiner
Professor Abdul-Majeed Salmasi oversees tests at Central Middlesex
Professor Abdul-Majeed Salmasi
July 27, 2026
A doctor based at Central Middlesex Hospital has been recognised by his peers as the world’s greatest medical examiner, marking a remarkable milestone in a career devoted to guiding young clinicians through one of the most demanding gateways in their professional lives.
Professor Abdul-Majeed Salmasi, who has spent a decade examining candidates for the MRCP post-graduate medical diploma, received the honour from fellow examiners at the Federation of Royal College of Physicians. The MRCP — comprising written papers and a rigorous practical assessment — is the qualification doctors must pass before they can apply for specialist training. Several hundred candidates sit the practical exam each year at Central Middlesex Hospital in Park Royal, where Professor Salmasi has become a reassuring, if formidable, presence.
He estimates he has examined several thousand doctors over the years, though he still vividly remembers the nerves of taking the exam himself. “I can still remember taking my own exams,” he says with a laugh, explaining that he takes candidates’ anxiety into account when assessing their performance. The practical component involves five workstations, each staffed by pairs of examiners who present clinical scenarios — including diagnosing real patients — designed to test judgement, communication and bedside manner under pressure.
“The UK is unique in developing the MRCP because of the practical aspect of the exam,” he explains. “It now has centres all over the world including Hong Kong, Singapore, India and Pakistan. I try not to be too scary as an examiner given how nervous I was facing a similar ordeal when I was younger.”
His colleagues recently presented him with a painting to mark his achievement as the top examiner, an accolade bestowed by fellow professor Mo Thaw Oo in front of around twenty examiners. The gesture recognised not only the sheer number of candidates he has taught and tested, but also his long service to the Federation of Royal College of Physicians, which oversees the exam worldwide.
For the generations of doctors who have passed through his exam rooms, Professor Salmasi’s blend of rigour, empathy and humour has helped shape their path into specialist medicine.
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