The school opened in 2021 after several delays and concerns over sustainable funding.
It was hoped the school’s opening in the city would eventually help to address a relative shortage of doctors in Northern Ireland.
Bazira said recruiting local people into medical careers was one of his main objectives in the role and a big attraction for him taking the job.
“Derry is very like Yorkshire. It was an area of health inequality, under-served by doctors and there was an opportunity to build capacity and I saw that happen in my time there.
“I also saw at Hull York medical school that you tend to get students not necessarily from the local area.
“My passion would be to encourage people from the north west towards careers in medicine and healthcare.
“That’s where you get the longevity.”
Bazira said he wanted people know that medicine can be for everyone.
“There is a misconception out there that to become a doctor you have to be especially academic or high-flying.
“I believe anyone can be a doctor.”
He said that a lot of what student doctors need to learn, they can teach.
“It is the softer side of medicine that is crucial,~” he said.
“Empathy, bedside manner and communication skills – a lot of people have those.
“Having been a patient myself, those are the skills that endeared me towards my doctors.”