Ali Agha Khaleeli | The BMJ

Ali Agha Khaleeli was born in Madras, India, in 1946. His father was an orthopaedic surgeon and his mother was the first Muslim woman to attend medical school in Singapore. The family moved to the UK that year, at a time when migration from the subcontinent was rare. From 1954 Ali attended Belmont preparatory school with his two elder brothers, and then Mill Hill School, where he excelled in mathematics and enjoyed cross country running and cricket. He gained entry to the Royal London Hospital medical school, where he made lifelong friends.

Ali qualified in 1969 and held training posts in Bath, Epping, and across London, including St Stephen’s, the London Chest Hospital, and Charing Cross Hospital. He married Noushafreen …