Asam Ishtiaq, president of the IMO
Occupation: President of the Irish Medical Organisation and general surgeon.
Personal/family: Married to Aneesa and we have two boys, Nabeel (5) and Zain (4).
What figure from the world of medicine or health do you most admire? Prof Barry O'Donnell, a pioneering paediatric surgeon, who was the first Irishman to become the president of the Irish Medical Organisation, the British Medical Association as well as the Canadian Medical Association. He was also elected as president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland.
What other career might you have chosen? Merchant banking but I was not good at maths.
If you could grant three wishes for the health service, what would they be? Introduce bed capacity to the levels we had in the early 1980s, administrative staff to the levels we had in the early 1990s and clinical standards and outcomes of the 21st century.
What is your greatest fear? Being in a road traffic accident on our roads.
Have you ever been a patient and were you a good one? Yes, and I was a reasonable patient.
When or where are you happiest? At home with my wife and children.
How do you cope with stress? Walking and swimming.
What is the trait you most admire in yourself? Persistence.
What is the trait you most dislike in yourself? Not being selfish at times when I ought to be.
Do you use alternative or complementary medicine or therapies? No, because they are not evidence based.
Who or what makes you laugh? Any episode of Father Ted and Have I Got News For You.
What is your motto? Work hard and think out of the box.
What is your favourite TV or radio programme? Prime Time, Morning Ireland and Five Seven Live.
What books would you bring to a desert island? My holy book Quran and The Da Vinci Code.
(In conversation with Fiona Tyrrell)