Dr Aaisha Opel

Dr Aaisha Opel is an award-winning Consultant Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist with many years of experience in cardiac rhythm management including inherited arrhythmias, syncope, and overlap between cardiomyopathies, heart failure and arrhythmia management. She also consults on all aspects of Cardiology and has expertise in long COVID. She has worked in world-class centres, with other experts in the field.

She is an expert in her field and one of a few female cardiologists in the country and is one of an even smaller number of female electrophysiologists in the country.

Dr Opel sees private patients at several locations in Central and North/North West London including Spire Bushey and OneWelbeck, as well as offering video consultations.

Dr Opel was appointed as a Consultant in Cardiology and Electrophysiology in 2017 at the renowned Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals and Chelsea and Westminster NHS foundation trusts before taking up her current post at the North Middlesex University Hospital. In 2021, she was also appointed as Clinical Director of Medical Specialties and in 2023, Clinical Safety Officer. In 2024, she was appointed as Medical Director, Heart Health at OneWelbeck.

Dr Opel gained her primary medical qualification at University College London in 2001 with distinction, alongside her Bachelor's degree in Anatomy with Honours and later FRCP and PhD. She completed general cardiology training and undertook her excellent subspecialty training in Electrophysiology and Devices at the Barts Heart Centre, St. Bartholomew's hospital.

Dr Opel also gained a prestigious clinical research fellowship with the British Heart Foundation, during which time she undertook research about Atrial Fibrillation using basic laboratory and electrophysiology techniques. As a result, she was awarded her PhD, Young Investigator awards and published her work.

Dr Opel has several publications in peer-reviewed journals and has been awarded several prizes for clinical work in service devlopment for atrial fibrillation, research and during her university earlier life. She also speaks at national and international conferences.

Dr Opel set up the first day case service for ablation for atrial fibrillation in a district general hospital during her time as a register at Barts. This was novel firstly being day case ablation for atrial fibrillation and secondly, as it was performed as a district general hospital. This service won several awards and has been since duplicated in many other centres. Dr Opel has published her work on this and speaks about this at conferences.

Dr Opel has driven other transformational changes in the departments in which she has worked for the betterment of patient care.

She is heavily involved in training the next generation of Cardiologists with excellent feedback from trainees and Health Education England. She is a mentor for future cardiologists, particularly women.

Dr Opel has been a voice on several councils including the British Heart Rhythm Society
(BHRS), Specialist Advisory Committee for Cardiology and British Junior Cardiologists Association. She is the UK ambassador to the European Heart Rhythm Association Young Electrophysiologists Committee.

Dr Opel is known for her caring, empathic manner and has excellent rapport with her patients and those she works with. She is thorough in her patient-centred approach, provides clear explanations in her advice, understands the patient and provides sound expertise in her field. Her aim is always to deliver the first class patient care.