Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan wins Campaigner for Health Equity Award at Women of the Year Awards

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Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan has been awarded the Gilead & Kite Campaigner for Health Equity Award at the 2025 Women of the Year Lunch & Awards, recognising her pioneering leadership improving health equity – particularly for people living with HIV. 

Dr Dhairyawan’s career has been dedicated to advancing health equity, particularly for marginalised communities, with a focus on addressing structural inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes. The award marks that her influence at the crossroads of clinical practice, public health and academic research is redefining what equitable healthcare can and should look like.  

Dr Dhairyawan is Honorary Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director of the SHARE Collaborative at Queen Mary, Consultant Physician in Sexual Health and HIV Medicine at Barts NHS Health NHS Trust, and an author. The SHARE Collaborative brings together experts from a range of fields to investigate the inequalities that contribute to poor health outcomes. 

As a clinician and researcher, she has developed initiatives that improve care pathways, influence health policy and ensure that healthcare systems better serve underserved populations.  

Her longstanding work in the HIV field has been especially impactful, advocating for equitable sexual health services and ensuring that the voices of people living with HIV especially from underrepresented communities are reflected in policy, research and care provision.  

In 2024, Rageshri published Unheard: The Medical Practice of Silencing, a powerful exploration of how patient voices are marginalised within healthcare systems. Through her research, writing and public speaking, she continues to challenge medical norms and advocate for inclusive, equitable healthcare. 

Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan, Honorary Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, commented: 

“I'm deeply honoured to receive this award, which is a reflection of not just my efforts, but of my NHS colleagues, collaborators and supporters along the way. I am particularly grateful to the HIV community who have taught me so much about the importance of listening to marginalised voices and the importance of collective action, and from whom I continue to learn every day. Thank you for this incredible recognition.” 

Vix Brenninkmeijer, Chair of Women of the Year, commented:  

“Dr Dhairyawan’s commitment to tackling health inequalities makes her a truly deserving recipient of our Campaigner for Health Equity Award. Her work combines clinical excellence with advocacy and research, demonstrating the profound difference one individual can make to communities and policy. In a highly competitive category, her achievements stood out for both their depth and reach.” 

Find out more about Queen Mary’s work to champion health equity for all: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/research/progress/health-equity/.