Damehood for Chair of the NHS Race and Health Observatory

The Chair of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, Marie Gabriel, has been made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in His Majesty the King’s 2025 New Year’s Honours.

Recognised for services to health and equality, Dame Marie Gabriel has spent a dedicated 45-year career spanning local government and the voluntary sector with expertise in delivering equity, regeneration and social justice.

With over 20 years’ of board level experience in the NHS, Dame Marie Gabriel was appointed as the founding Chair of the independent NHS Race and Health Observatory, a role held since its formation in 2020. She chairs a Board of world-renowned experts to identify and address racial inequalities in healthcare. Dame Marie Gabriel is also the Chair of the NHS North East London ICB.

Regionally, Dame Marie Gabriel is Co-Chair of the London People Board and a member of the Greater London Authority’s London Health Board. Internationally, she has worked with the Institute of Healthcare Improvement focussing on the Board’s role in quality improvement and has also chaired mental health and commissioning organisations with budgets of up to £3bn.

Dame Marie Gabriel said:

“I am thankful to all the people involved in my nomination. I know that this is a recognition of the achievements and contributions of the organisations, communities and people that I work with, locally and internationally. Working with them to ensure better health outcomes, now and in the future, continues to be a huge privilege and honour. It’s impressive to see the progress that the NHS Race and Health Observatory is making in delivering much-needed, evidence-based and data-driven insights and solutions, that are and will reduce the systematic inequalities experienced by our diverse communities.

“This recognition is an illustration of the importance of the ongoing work we do to further equity and improve health outcomes.”

Earlier this year, Dame Marie Gabriel was also named in the Health Service Journal’s Top 50 list of the most influential people in health.

Professor Habib Naqvi, chief executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory said:

“In her fifth decade of public service, Marie has made serving others, and improving the lives of the most vulnerable, her vocation. This recognition is thoroughly deserved and is a clear testament to Marie’s commitment and dedication to social justice. The Observatory is fortunate to have Marie leading its world-class board, as we continue to drive genuine and irreversible change for patients, communities and staff across the healthcare system.”

Dame Marie Gabriel’s contribution to the NHS was recognised through the award of a CBE in 2018. She is a trustee at West Ham United Foundation and East London Business Alliance, and was presented with an Honorary Doctor of Health Sciences award by Anglia Ruskin University in 2023.

Jacynth Ivey, Non-Executive Director of Birmingham Community Healthcare (BCHC) NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Foundation Trust, also received an MBE in His Majesty the King’s New Year Honours List for services to nursing. Jacynth is a member of the Stakeholder Engagement Advisory Group of the national NHS Race and Health Observatory.

Another member of the Observatory’s Stakeholder Engagement Advisory Group, Jennifer Caguioa, International Recruitment and Ethnic Minorites Nurse Advisor, NHS England and lately Head of Global, Florence Nightingale Foundation, was also awarded an MBE for services to nursing.