Personal Profile
Dr Shaikh is a consultant cardiologist with an interest in cardiac disease prevention and cardiac imaging.
Training and Appointment
Dr Shaikh qualified from the University of Nottingham in 2001. During her time as a junior doctor she worked in many locations including Cardiff, London and Liverpool. This provided a phenomenal breadth of experience leading to a firm grounding in all aspects of general medicine and cardiology.
In 2007, she undertook a PhD at Imperial College London, based at the Royal Brompton Hospital sleep laboratory. The main body of her work was funded by the British Heart Foundation. Her research explored the intersection between cardiac blood flow and respiratory disease at rest, with exercise and during sleep. Her PhD sparked an ongoing interest in sleep medicine and the relationship of sleep disorders with cardiac disease.
Dr Shaikh completed her cardiology training in Liverpool in 2017, specialising in cardiac imaging and specifically in advanced echocardiography and cardiac MRI.
As a consultant she has been the clinical lead for cardiac imaging and cardiology education in Wexham Park Hospital. She helped set up the cardiac MRI service at Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
She has lectured locally and nationally on topics ranging from cardiac MRI to sleep medicine.
Current Practice
Dr Shaikh currently practices at St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey, runs community echocardiography clinics and hosts the Fresh Heart Podcast. She has a weekly clinic at Mount Alvernia Hospital.
Clinical Interests
Dr Shaikh investigates and treats a broad range of cardiac issues including chest pain, palpitations, breathlessness, hypertension, blood lipid disorders, heart failure and heart valve disease.
She can perform and interpret all initial cardiac investigations including echocardiography (ultrasound scanning of the heart). She can arrange advanced cardiac imaging with CT or MRI if necessary. She can also arrange for any invasive testing if required.
Zarrin knows how unsettling cardiac symptoms can be and strives to get to the root cause of the issues whilst being as reassuring as possible.
Dr Shaikh is the founder of the Fresh Heart Project, a company dedicated to positive, accurate health messaging through media. She is the host of the Fresh Heart Podcast available on all popular podcast platforms. This podcast explores tools to refocus your energy and optimise your health without judgement and with compassion.
