Top 50 Black and Minority Ethnic Health Leaders Announced

Leading black and minority ethnic individuals working across healthcare have been recognised in the Health Service Journal’s annual listing of the top 50 most influential black and minority ethnic people in health, announced today.

This year’s list has been sponsored for the first time by the NHS Race and Health Observatory.

Influential leaders on the list include, Dr Nikki Kanani, primary care director, NHS England and Improvement, Professor Kevin Fenton, London regional director, Public Health England, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer, Department of Health and Social Care and Dr Navina Evans, chief executive, Health Education England.

Dr Habib Naqvi, director of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, said: 

“It is important that we celebrate and give due praise to the immense contribution of black and minority ethnic leaders in healthcare. We are proud to honour these outstanding role models from diverse backgrounds who continue to play a leading role in improving care for patients and shaping the future of healthcare in England.”

The full list of the 50 most influential Black and minority ethnic people in healthcare can be found here:

A list of 50 near misses who almost made the final ranking is also available.

HSJ editor Alastair McLellan, said: 

“The contribution of people from minority ethnic backgrounds has always been vital to the UK’s health and care services, and it has always boasted admirable and effective leaders. Those leaders, for reasons we come to better understand every day, were often invisible. That is no longer the case.”