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  4. Congratulations: Award of OBE to Professor Farah Bhatti

Congratulations: Award of OBE to Professor Farah Bhatti

11 January 2021

 

Dear Colleague,

It is a pleasure to share with you the wonderful news that Professor Farah Bhatti has received  an O.B.E in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List for Services to Diversity in the NHS in Wales.

Professor Bhatti read Medicine at Somerville College, Oxford and completed her clinical training at Jesus College and Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge. She has trained at a number of prestigious units including The Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals. She spent 2 years in full time research into transplantation and gained an MD from Cambridge University.

Farah has been a cardiac surgeon in Swansea since 2007 and has worked tirelessly for equality and diversity. She is a pleasure to work with and is inspiring to all those around her.

She is humbled and honoured by this award and has been quoted in the media:

“It is absolutely wonderful to be recognised for the work I do in promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion”

‘It’s a privilege to be a cardiac surgeon and to also work towards creating a fairer environment where everyone can thrive.”

“I feel overwhelmed at receiving this honour, and would like to dedicate my OBE to my parents, who are the real heroes of my story”

She has personally overcome the prejudices that can exist and her personal firsts are:

  • First woman Consultant Cardiac Surgeon in Wales.
  • First British woman of Pakistani heritage appointed as a Consultant Cardiac Surgeon in the UK.
  • First female cardiac surgeon (and the first ever muslim woman) to be elected as Council Member of RCS England.

She has had, and still has many important roles which now include:

  • Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at Morriston Hospital
  • Equality and Diversity Lead for the Graduate Entry Medicine programme and Professor at Swansea University Medical School.
  • Council Member of The Royal College of Surgeons of England
  • Chair of the Women in Surgery Forum and the Emerging Leaders Programme.
  • Student Engagement Lead for the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland (SCTS) (with Karen Booth).
  • GMC Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Forum
  • NHS BAME Clinical Advisory Forum
  • Independent Review into Diversity of Professional Leadership at RCS England – led by Baroness Helena Kennedy

Congratulations Farah. A most deserved honour and may you continue to succeed with this vital agenda that is so important for our working and private lives,

Simon Kendall

President, SCTS 

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