Meet the Team

Michael Kamdar

Michael Kamdar is chairman of FoNAS and a doctor working in North Tees Hospital (Stockton). Mike's interests are healthcare management, surgery, rugby and motorcycling. Mike graduated from Newcastle Medical School in 2020 and from Maastricht Unviersity in 2019 (reading Healthcare Policy, Innovation and Management).

According to Mike, "The introduction of the Nepal Ambulance Service is a pivotal point in the development of innovative healthcare in Nepal, and is one of the reasons why I wanted to maintain a relationship with FoNAS after my medical elective in 2018."

Matthew Doe

Matthew is a trustee and a former chairman of FoNAS. He received his medical degree from the University of Nottingham and is now a surgical registrar based in the South West. He enjoys mountaineering and holds the UIAA/IKAR Diploma in Mountain Medicine.

While working in Kathmandu on an elective placement during his medical training, Matthew witnessed first-hand the work of the Nepal Ambulance Service and later returned to Nepal to establish formal links with the NAS board of directors. He later joined forces with Russ Pariseau and Nick Wilson to establish FoNAS.

In his spare time Matthew enjoys mountaineering, cycling, watching his team Harlequins win rugby matches and relaxing with his wife Laura

Nicola Rodgers

Nicola is a trustee and treasurer for FoNAS. She is an Emergency Medicine doctor based in Edinburgh with added interests in anaesthetics and pre-hospital medicine; having taken a longer route to medicine by completing a BSc in Chemistry and Physics prior to studying medicine.

She plans to utilise the skills acquired in her Masters in Clinical Research to work with other members of FoNAS and medical elective students in the continuing development of NAS and patient care in Nepal.

Nicola has worked in the pre-hospital environment for various sporting events and as a paediatric ICU and retrieval doctor in New Zealand.

Outside the hospital Nicola can be found hill walking, running, watching F1 or reading.

Nick Wilson

Nick is a trustee and a former chairman and a co-founder of Friends of Nepal Ambulance Service. He is an anaesthetic and intensive care doctor from London with a keen interest in emergency and pre-hospital medicine. He came across the newly formed NAS in 2012 on his medical elective and has dedicated much of his free time to supporting their growth since.

Nick is passionate about research and clinical governance, using skills developed in a Master’s Degree in Trauma Science to benefit NAS. Nick has trained alongside first class pre-hospital teams in London, worked in Alpine ski rescue and been a paediatric aero-retrieval doctor in New Zealand, so he appreciates the huge benefits and challenges of working outside of a hospital.

In his spare time Nick can often be found up a hill, either on skis, crampons, boots or trainers.

James Lambert

James is the FoNAS lead on Medical Electives. He is an intensive care doctor in East London and alongside being a Trustee is the Academic and Elective Programme lead for FoNAS. He first got involved with the charity in 2017, when he completed his elective in Pokhara, collecting baseline data on the need for Emergency Medical Services in the city.

He has a particular interest in resuscitation medicine and holds a BSc in Prehospital Medicine from Barts and The London. Outside of this his main passions are hiking and running, having run five marathons so far.

In his roles at FoNAS he aims to increase the number of people completing electives and research projects with the charity to help with the continued development of NAS and the care they provide the citizens of Nepal. If you are interested in getting involved, please view the ‘Electives’ page of the website, or contact him at james.lambert@fonas.co.uk.

Suraj Bhattarai

Suraj is a public health specialist, a research fellow and tropical medicine physician from Pokhara Nepal. Currently, he is co-leading global health programme of Global Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies (www.thegiis.org) – a Kathmandu-based non-profit. He completed medical training from BPKIHS, Dharan. Suraj is the FoNAS liaison officer with Nepal Ambulance Service.

His career interests are in infectious & tropical diseases, maternal-child health, vaccines, health policies, and transdisciplinary research. Suraj recently completed a master’s programme in tropical medicine and international health from the LSHTM, University of London, UK.

Suraj is an elected member of Global Young Academy which is highly active hub of young scientists worldwide. In 2016, he was selected for ‘Young physician leadership programme’ by Inter Academy Medical Panel of the World Health Summit. In 2014, he coordinated a large survey to assess the availability of technology for trauma care in Nepal in collaboration with the epidemiologists at the University of Washington, USA

Russ Pariseau

Since the early 1970’s Russ Pariseau has worked as a producer and director/cameraman for independent documentaries and commercial clients including the United Nations, Fortune 500 corporations, the U.S. government and numerous advertising agencies and public relations firms. His films have won numerous awards.

Russ and partner Frances Turner lived in Kathmandu from 2006 to 2010. Russ is one of the original founders of the Nepal Ambulance Service and remains a member of its International Advisory Board. Alongside Matt Doe and Nick Wilson, Russ was involved in the establishment of Friends of NAS and Russ and Frances served as trustees of FoNAS from 2015 to 2018. Russ continues to work with FoNAS in an advisory capacity.