Professor Waqar Bhatti

Professor Waqar A. Bhatti, FRCS (Ed), FRCR, holds professorial appointments at both the University of Salford and Manchester Metropolitan University. He has been a Senior Consultant in Musculoskeletal and Sports Radiology at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust since 2001, where he established and developed Manchester’s first comprehensive musculoskeletal ultrasound service, now widely recognised as a centre of excellence.

Professor Bhatti was educated at Manchester Grammar School and is an alumnus of the Victoria University of Manchester. During his undergraduate studies, he was awarded the prestigious Kiddle Entrance Scholarship and the Stopford Pathology Prize, reflecting early academic distinction.

He completed surgical training in 1996, achieving Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He subsequently undertook specialist training in radiology and was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists in London in 1999. In the same year, he received the ECR Junior Interpretation Prize. His research excellence has also been recognised internationally, with Cum Laude and Magna Cum Laude awards from the Radiological Society of North America for presented research work.

Professor Bhatti has extensive experience in elite sports medicine imaging. He has served as team radiologist to both Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United Football Club and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City Football Club, supporting athletes during periods of exceptional domestic and international success.

During his tenure with Manchester United, the club won multiple major honours, including Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup, League Cups, FA Community Shields, the UEFA Europa League, the FIFA Club World Cup, a Women’s Championship title, and FA Youth Cup titles.

As radiologist to Manchester City Football Club, he supported the team through an era of unprecedented achievement, including UEFA Champions League success, multiple Premier League titles, FA Cups, League Cups, Carabao Cups, and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Beyond football, Professor Bhatti has provided radiology support to local and national rugby and cricket teams. He has also worked extensively with British Cycling and is a long-standing radiologist to the Great Britain Olympic Taekwondo Team, supporting athletes competing at the highest level of international sport.

He has delivered radiology services for visiting international teams during Rugby World Cups and Olympic events hosted in Manchester, and has contributed to imaging provision for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and Birmingham.

Professor Bhatti’s academic and educational contributions are substantial. He has served as Associate Editor of Clinical Radiology, worked as a Demonstrator in Anatomy at the University of Manchester, and held the role of Deputy Teaching Lead at the North West School of Radiology Academy. These roles reflect his long-standing commitment to medical education, postgraduate training, academic leadership, and the advancement of musculoskeletal and sports radiology.