Equality and diversity in the workforce and creating a Soft Landing for international medical graduates

Professor Mala Rao CBE MSc MBBS FFPH PhD HonFFSRH HonFSoPHE HonFRCPCH is Director of the Ethnicity and Health Unit at Imperial College London and former Medical Adviser to NHS England’s Workforce Race Equality Strategy. She has recently been appointed a Clinical Adviser on IMG Induction by the GMC. She is also chair of the Expert group on the Environmental Determinants of Climate change and Health, WHO South East Asia Region. Her career has spanned public health practice, policy and research in the UK and global arenas. Her most significant achievements have been in workforce development, health systems strengthening and environmental health. She is a recognised champion of climate action, safe water and sanitation and gender equity and globally respected for her research and advocacy on race equality and the intersection between race, health and climate.

In 2014, a review which she lead influenced parliamentarians to establish the NHS Workforce Race Equality Strategic Advisory Group of which she was Vice-Chair during 2016 - 2018. She co-guest edited the February 2020 British Medical Journal’s special issue on Racism in Medicine which won a prestigious UK Professional Publishers Award (PPA) in 2021 and influenced the launch of the NHS Race and Health Observatory. In 2021, she lead the development of the Medical Workforce Race Equality Standard, a ‘world first’ in monitoring racism and discrimination across the medical workforce. In 2022, she launched the first comprehensive guide to induction for international medical graduates recruited to the NHS.

She is the recipient of awards, including an OBE in the Queen’s Honours in 2013, the Alwyn Smith prize, the UK’s most prestigious award for public health, in 2021 and Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in 2022. She was awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours list of 2024, for services to Public Health, the NHS and to Equality and Diversity.

He is an International Medical Graduate (Kolkata, India) who works as a Consultant in Diabetes & Endocrinology at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, UK since 2008- and won multiple awards at the BMJ, HSJ & Guardian Care Awards

He has helped to make use of CGM standard care in Type 1 Diabetes- while also implementing use of CGM in T1D pregnancy. He has led in developing online digital self-management platforms- while recently leading on wider access to Closed Loops working with NICE (TA943)
 
His other work has involved championing “Language Matters”; principles of Peer support for Type 1 Diabetes as well as Co- creator of Type 1 Diabetes comic (Volume 1 to 5) and a Decision Support Tool for T1D management

He is one of the leading users of social media in diabetes care- and writes a monthly blog for the British Medical Journal.

He has also been recognized as one of the most influential figures from the ethnic minority population across healthcare in the UK by the Healthcare Service Journal in 2020,2021,2022 and 2023

He is the author of first report detailing action plan to tackle racism in medical workforce, and joined GMC as clinical advisor to IMGs

Camilla Kingdon completed a 3-year term as former President of the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health (RCPCH) at the end of March 2024.  She graduated with an MBChB from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and undertook her Paediatric training in London, where she has worked as a consultant neonatologist at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital since 2000.  She has an MA in Medical Careers Management. 

Camilla has 2 main areas of interest, which are both underpinned by inclusion and equity.  Firstly, advocating for the impact of health inequalities and climate change which disproportionately impact the most disadvantaged children globally.  And secondly, making the case for a new paradigm in child health leadership that is inclusive and compassionate. AS an IMG herself she has lived experience of some of some of the issues faced by IMGs starting their careers in the NHS.