Professor Waqar Bhatti

Professor Waqar A. Bhatti, FRCS (Ed), FRCR, holds dual professorships at 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 the city’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 his surgical training in 1996, achieving the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCS Ed). He subsequently undertook specialist training in radiology and was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists (FRCR) in London in 1999. In the same year, he received the ECR Junior Interpretation Prize. His research excellence has been internationally recognised, with Cum Laude and Magna Cum Laude awards from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) for his presented research work.

Professor Bhatti has extensive experience in elite sports medicine imaging and has served as team radiologist to both Manchester United Football Club and Manchester City Football Club. During his tenure at Manchester United, the club enjoyed a period of remarkable success, winning five Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup, two League Cups, six FA Community Shields, the UEFA Europa League, the FIFA Club World Cup, a Women’s Championship title, and two FA Youth Cup titles. As a radiologist to Manchester City Football Club, he supported the team through an era of unprecedented achievement, including a UEFA Champions League title, eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one Capital One Cup, four League Cups, two Carabao Cups, and a 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, Olympic events hosted in Manchester, and has contributed to the provision of imaging services 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, reflecting his long-standing commitment to medical education, postgraduate training, and academic leadership.