Act now, shape tomorrow: Strategic shifts in dental care

Professor Mahendra G Patel OBE PhD Hon FRCGP FRPharmS

A UK-wide pharmacy luminary and health equity advocate.

Mahendra played a leading role in landmark primary care COVID-19 trials, driving inclusive recruitment strategies that shaped policy nationally and internationally.

A Founding Director of the Centre for Research Equity at Oxford, he champions community-engaged research — showcased at the WHO and UN. Under his leadership, the Centre has built groundbreaking partnerships with Wales and Northern Ireland’s governmental R&D departments supporting inclusive research and health equity.

Mahendra co-leads NIHR’s Race Equity Incubator and is professional advisor to England’s Chief Pharmaceutical Officer on inclusive practice and health inequalities. He is a member of the BMJ Commission on the Future of the NHS, and the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board in helping create a Royal College of Pharmacy.

Honoured with an OBE and the RCGP’s highest award for a non-GP, he continues to bridge disciplines and drive systemic change. Also, named among HSJ’s 50 most influential black, Asian and minority ethnic healthcare professionals.