Maha Arif

With only 4% of doctors in the UK identifying as working class, potential medical students from less affluent backgrounds often have to overcome many barriers to get into university. And once they arrive, they may face obstacles too. 

Maha, who graduated with a medical degree from Edinburgh Medical School in 2025, was determined to make a difference, cofounding the Widening Participation Medics Society. The society helps students from under-represented backgrounds connect and support one another. 

While setting up the society, Maha did extensive research into the student experience, presenting her findings at the 2025 Association for the Study of Medical Education conference. She was runner up for Heart of Edinburgh in the EUSA student awards and received the Sir William Duncan memorial prize at graduation in summer 2025. Now working and living in Edinburgh, she volunteers with the You Can Be a Doctor charity, as well as with REACH Edinburgh, a widening participation programme for Scottish secondary students applying to university.