Making waves in policy — Dr. Arrash Arya Yassaee
I had the privilege of speaking to Dr Arrash Arya Yassaee, a paediatric doctor with an extensive background in policy and strategic work. With his experiences at the UK Department of Health, NHS England and NHS Improvement, he is now building HLA:Think — a think-tank striving to develop and mentor a pipeline of future healthcare policy leaders.
Tell us how you got involved in policy and your journey thus far.
A: I have always been interested in trying to solve complex issues at a systemic level. My journey in policy started off at university, where I co-chaired a report on non-communicable diseases in the developing world for a student think-tank. This culminated to a presentation at the Houses of Parliament, where I pitched my work to key policymakers.
I then wrote a report on underage drinking, shared these findings to the European parliament, and even served as a keynote speaker on this issue. In my final year of medical school, I also had the opportunity to work in the Department of Health on children’s mental health policies.
These endeavours during university served as a launchpad for my career within policy — I was intrigued by the challenge of untangling a complicated web of issues into something both comprehensible and applicable to decision-makers. After my stint at the Department of Health, I found myself wanting to explore the intricacies of the wider healthcare system that I was in.
After working for organisations such as NHS England and NHS improvement, I am now taking my experiences and building HLA:Think. Our goal is to develop and mentor a pipeline of healthcare professionals who are interested in healthcare policy and provide them with the skills to contribute to national healthcare policies.
What was your most interesting project to date?
A: Whilst at the London Forum for Science and Policy, I worked on tackling underage drinking and its harmful consequences, a topic very close to my heart. It was the journey that was most exciting — I was able to present my work at the European parliament and this snowballed to various international collaborations so that the policy could be translated and adapted to specific local communities. I even got to contribute to a UNESCO/WHO report on underage substance misuse and was subsequently invited to speak at various national events to share my findings with policymakers.
[Author’s note: This project was manifested whilst Dr Yassaee was still in medical school]
How did you manage to get an audience with key policymakers?
A: Student think-tanks can offer a great springboard to showcase your work. Well-run student think-tanks identify and maintain relationships with key stakeholders who can facilitate you and your work to be seen and heard by the right people.
What were the biggest challenges you faced?
A: One of the biggest challenges I faced was time management. It requires a lot of planning and motivation from my part, but I found that working with other people helps as you can motivate and drive one another to get things done. You know that the other person is also counting on you for good output.
In terms of dealing with complex systemic issues in policy work, I still find it challenging to look at the bigger picture. Specifically, to distil key principles of a complex issue, and write in a comprehensible way for others to make informed decisions. Policy projects have shown me how to look at lots of new issues with a different lens. I also learnt how to delineate which aspects of an issue I can address, and those I should solve later.
With the above, I recommend to just get the ball rolling. You learn by doing and practicing.
How do you manage to juggle both clinical and policy work?
A: Something that I’m learning to do over the past year is to learn how to say ‘No’. I have a simple screening test:
1) Will this lead to something else?
2) Will it help me develop a new skill or learn something?
3) Is this something I will enjoy?
If it doesn’t fill all of the above, then my approach now is to really consider if it’s something worth putting my time into.
What is your leadership style and how has it worked for you?
A: My leadership style has evolved over time as I matured, but also because of the roles I began to take on. Early in my career, most of my roles were local committee-based or advocacy work, essentially leading by driving things forward, setting the agenda, and always taking initiative.
But at a systemic level, where I started to understand the formal hierarchy in organisations, I have learnt to lead by building consensus. These skills were built whilst doing projects, where I learnt how to get people on my side and empower them to work towards a common goal. This has even worked in confrontational situations, such as national contract negotiations.
[Dr Yassaee was an executive committee member for the British Medical Association during the Junior Doctor Contract Dispute in 2015]
As a student presenting to key rainmakers, how did you make others listen to you?
A: It’s about finding your area of expertise and the way you present yourself. I didn’t have previous policy experience, but if you research into a niche area and can synthesise evidence well, you can become an authoritative figure even early on in your career.
If you can identify what you really know and understand (eg. Digital health), keep up to date with latest developments, and can explain difficult concepts in simple language, people are more likely to approach you for an expert opinion. On a parallel, be humble if you don’t know much about a topic and learn from others who do.
[Dr Yassaee cited that he just finished his MBA in 2021. He did it mainly to hold conversations with finance stakeholders, rather than to try being an expert in the field]
What skills did you wish you had learnt before delving into policy?
A: Communication — both written and verbal. The skill I picked up the most was writing with clarity and concision. It is a very valuable skill, which you can develop by practice. It is helpful to have someone who can guide you, so find opportunities and mentors who can critically appraise your work.
For me, my reports started off with lots of red marks on my reports. Eventually I managed to produce a 46-page report with barely any edits!
How did you make your CV stand out, especially to organisations like the UK department of Health, NHS England and NHS improvement?
A: Three things to look out for are:
1) Formatting 2) Cogency 3) Person specifications.
Ask your friends and colleagues for their CVs and see what they look like. You will pick up a few good formats and styles. In addition, for any organisation you are applying for, look at the person specifications. What kind of candidate they are looking out for? Make it very clear on your CV and personal statement that you have met all of these requirements, and embed the phrases in your CV if you can.
Particularly for non-medical CVs, it is important to explain your achievements (e.g., I managed a budget of £x), rather than to simply name the role or conference that you have led.
If you don’t have any experiences that may be directly relevant, you can start off your CV by explaining what you are interested in and why/add other soft skills.
Show that the skills you have from your experiences are transferrable to the company you are applying for.
Do you have any final tips for other medics who would like to venture into policy?
A: There will always be opportunities and organisations who are willing to support people on their developmental journey. For example, HLA:Think by the Healthcare Leadership Academy strives to equip healthcare leaders with the skills and knowledge in shaping policies at a local and national level. If you are keen on policy work, just get the ball rolling!
If you are interested in getting involved with the HLA:Think, please get in touch via think@thehealthcareleadership.academy.
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About the author
Jaclyn Tan is a fifth year medical student at UCL with special interests in healthcare leadership and policy. She has a vision to empower healthcare professionals to sit at the board table, make their voices heard, and impact real change within the healthcare industry. During her spare time, she serves as a freelance journalist and takes painting, poetry, and jazz pretty seriously!
