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The Royal College of General Practitioners has awarded an honorary fellowship to Professor G Mahendra Patel OBE, recognising his exceptional contributions to healthcare and cross-professional leadership. 

Mahendra is an RPS Fellow, a former member of the RPS English Pharmacy Board and a previous RPS treasurer. He is the first pharmacist in England to receive this accolade, which is the RCGP’s highest award for non-GPs.

Starting in community pharmacy, Mahendra transitioned to academia, where he pioneered the NICE Student Champions Programme, embedding evidence-based practice in the curricula of 40 medical, pharmacy, nursing, and dental schools.

He is the founding director of the Centre for Research Equity, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford, shaping national research policy, collaborating with the RCGP and forming strategic partnerships across the UK.

A member of the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board, he is a strong supporter of RPS becoming the Royal College. He is also a BMJ NHS Commissioner and Professional Advisor to England’s Chief Pharmaceutical Officer. The Health Services Journal named him as one of the 50 most influential BAME figures in UK healthcare today.

Professor Patel said: “This stands as one of the proudest moments of my career, and for the pharmacy profession I represent, as RPS progresses to become the Royal College of Pharmacy. I hope this recognition becomes a catalyst: for closer collaboration, for shared leadership, and for inspiring members of both our professions to think beyond traditional boundaries - at every stage of their careers.

“At a time of extraordinary pressures on general practice and pharmacy, joined up thinking and integrated leadership across our professions has never been more urgent. I’ve always sought to break silos, widen access, and drive equity, with a clear focus on improving health outcomes by tackling the deep-rooted inequalities that persist across our communities.”