Professor Mahendra G Patel OBE PhD Hon FRCGP FRPharmS is a founding director of the Centre for Research Equity at Oxford, where he champions community-engaged research that has been showcased at the WHO and UN. Through this role, he has built ground breaking partnerships with Wales and Northern Ireland’s governmental R&D departments supporting inclusive research and health equity.

Patel played a leading role in landmark primary care COVID-19 trials, driving inclusive recruitment strategies that shaped policy nationally and internationally. He also co-leads NIHR’s Race Equity Incubator and is professional advisor to England’s Chief Pharmaceutical Officer on inclusive practice and health inequalities.

Patel 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. He has an OBE, was awarded the RCGP’s highest award for a non-GP and was named among HSJ’s 50 most influential black, Asian and minority ethnic healthcare professionals.