Summary statement 

I am standing for Dean because I care deeply about the future of psychiatric training, the wellbeing of our workforce, and the development of compassionate, confident psychiatrists. My professional path, personal experience, and long-standing commitment to education have brought me to this moment. I believe I can contribute meaningfully to the College by advocating for resident doctors, supporting trainers, and rebuilding the foundations on which high-quality psychiatric training depends.

My experience spans medical education, leadership, and system-level improvement. I am currently Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO) at West London NHS Trust, North West London Higher Trainee Leadership & Management Tutor, and Chair of the RCPsych London Division. Since CCT, I have also been a Less Than Full-Time Training (LTFT) Champion, Director of Medical Education (DME), and mentor to several consultants. Above all, my most meaningful role has been as a clinical and educational supervisor. I have supervised resident doctors at every level, and I continue to supervise two higher resident doctors despite the demands of my DCMO role. Supporting their growth and preparing them for consultant practice remains one of the greatest privileges of my career.

My work with RCPsych began when, as a new consultant, I attended a StartWell event—an initiative supporting the challenging transition from trainee to consultant. Recognising its impact, I became StartWell Lead for the London Division and helped shape subsequent events. I later spent three years contributing to the RCPsych Leadership and Management Fellowship Scheme, one of my most rewarding College roles. I now lead the module on Authentic Leadership and mentor our West London Fellow. I also teach on the RCPsych Internal Diploma for Older Adult Mental Health and have spoken at the International Congress on lived experience and the challenges faced by women in medicine. I have contributed extensively to national and regional training events for medical students, trainees, and trainers.

Equity, mentoring, and authenticity sit at the heart of my leadership. I work with LeadersPlus on supporting clinicians balancing parenthood and work, and I have shaped their NHS fellowship. My work with the Carers Office is rooted in my own background growing up in a deprived part of East London and working through medical school. I am completing a coaching diploma because I believe reflective, compassionate leadership is essential for personal and organisational growth.

My personal journey into psychiatry has shaped my values. After initially pursuing Acute Care Common Stem(ACCS), I returned to psychiatry because I missed continuity and witnessed stigma towards mental illness within medicine. My training was marked by challenge: being told I “cared too much to succeed,” experiencing severe postnatal depression, and returning LTFT while doubting my future. I stayed because exceptional supervisors and TPDs supported me, and their belief in me continues to fuel my commitment to advocating for others.

Working closely with resident doctors and trainers since CCT, I have witnessed the significant pressures they face: access difficulties, financial burdens, variable opportunities, increasing bureaucracy, and limited time for meaningful supervision. Many feel unheard and undervalued.

I want to change this. I believe we must rebuild the basics, listen openly, and invest in medical students, resident doctors, SAS doctors, educators, and trainers. I bring experience, humility, compassion, and determination—and a belief that meaningful change happens when we put people at the heart of everything we do.

Summary of key commitments

1. Lead and accelerate the review of the psychiatry recruitment process.

2. Create resources which develop all psychiatrists regardless of geography and other demographics.

3. Streamline the portfolio pathway building greater equity in our profession.

4. Develop a professional skills programme for all psychiatrists to support sustainable careers.

5. Provide better guidance around job planning, especially SPA time.

6. Reinstate StartWell ensuring consultants get off to the best start in their careers.

7. Develop resources, frameworks and support mechanisms for all educators and trainers.

8. Work across College to enhance leadership and management training resources for all psychiatrists, including digital, data  and AI skills.

9. Work with cross College and the Faculty of Leadership and Management (FMLM) to create a leadership and management framework for all psychiatrists.

10. Strengthen regional communication and collaboration by convening regular interface meetings with all key partners across the four nations.

11. Ensure that members can book group drop-in sessions with the Dean regularly, offering direct access to support, guidance, and ongoing dialogue.

12. Lead a training agenda shaped by those who know it best — our trainers, educators, resident and SAS doctors.