Congratulations to Professor Ketan Dhatariya, winner of the 2026 Outstanding Teaching Achievement Award. We recently had the pleasure of catching up with Professor Dhatariya to learn more about his inspiring work and the impact the Society has had on his professional journey.
Professor Ketan Dhatariya is Consultant in Diabetes & Endocrinology at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS FT and Honorary Professor of Medicine at the University of East Anglia. Ketan’s main areas of interest are all aspects of inpatient diabetes, but in particular diabetes emergencies, perioperative diabetes care and ‘diabetic foot’.
- What do you enjoy most about your work?
Everything! I enjoy educating others – but I get most enjoyment out of learning and sharing that knowledge with others.
- What are your biggest and/or most recent achievements?
Professionally, I have a lot of things that I feel are achievements. I was the senior author on the Global consensus document on the management of hyperglycaemic emergencies, a collaboration between the American Diabetes Association, the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, the Diabetes Technology Society, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology and JBDS, and that these were predominantly based on the UK JBDS DKA and HHS documents that I’d led the development of. I have been named as the worlds’ top expert in DKA management, and number 8 in the world for hyperglycaemia management. I have also managed to publish something almost every 2 weeks for the last several years without a single penny of research funding or minute of research time.
- What words of wisdom do you have for aspiring endocrinologists?
Always stay curious, ours is such a brilliant speciality, with new discoveries happening every week! I’d suggest to people at the start of their endocrine career ‘read!’. Read the e-Table of Contents of all of the major journals in our speciality – find out what is going on and then dive into your interests. Not everyone is going to be academic or be interested in publishing or in doing research, and that is absolutely fine. However, to be a leader in our speciality – and that is what being a consultant is about – you need to know what is going on and what the developments are coming down the track that will impact your care for the people you see in clinic every day. It is important for us to stay on top of things, so stay curious, question your bosses as to why they do what they do, where is the evidence for their actions. Keep questioning, keep reading and keep learning.
- Why did you get involved with the Society, and why should other professionals working in endocrinology do the same?
Even though many may see me as a diabetes doctor I think of myself as a jobbing diabetologists and endocrinologist. I love my endocrine clinic and have been a jack of all trades for all of my professional career. Unlike may specialities, we have 2 UK academic professional bodies, but in my role as chair of ABCD, I know that the vast majority of our members do both Diabetes and Endocrinology. SfE and ABCD work together, we have the same interests, we have the same goals for our shared residents. It makes no sense to be one or the other and so, given the different emphases of SfE compared to ABCD or Diabetes UK, I’ve been a member of SfE since I was a resident doctor in the 1990’s. It’s important to be a member to make sure that your voice is heard. SfE, like ABCD, is a way of advocating for our speciality at the highest levels in our profession, we sit at the ‘top table’, influencing NHSE or the Department of Health, or the Royal College of Physicians, and others. It’s all about having a voice, and being a member of SfE adds to the volume!
- Have you been to SfE BES before? If so, can you tell us about your experience of the event?
Many times. I really enjoy my time at SfE BES – my curiosity is never satisfied – I can go from a session on adrenals, to pituitary, to bone, to diabetes to reproduction to thyroid and so on. It is a wonderful place to learn, to catch up with people and make new contacts and friends.
Each medallist and award winner brings a unique story of passion and dedication to the field. We are excited to be highlighting their efforts and look forward to showcasing more winners with you throughout the year. Their achievements will be formally recognised at our flagship event, the annual SfE BES Conference, where they will be presented with their awards in front of peers and leaders from across the endocrine community.
Tickets are on sale for the SfE BES conference, taking place from 2-4 March 2026 in Harrogate. Book your place to celebrate the Society medallist and award winners successes with us, and connect and learn with our inspiring community.
