Professor Faye Ruddock DL

Professor Faye Ruddock DL is the Founding Chair of The Caribbean & African Health Network (CAHN), the national Black‑led organisation that works to address health inequities and influence policy and practice affecting Black communities across the United Kingdom. She is also Chair and Director of Health Equity at the University of Greater Manchester, where she provides strategic leadership on equity across all academic and professional service provision. Her academic work focuses on public health leadership, equity, and systems change. She holds a doctorate in decolonisation and health inequities in Black Caribbean and African communities, with a particular focus on structural determinants and the redesign of services to improve outcomes.

Faye is Chair of the Greater Manchester Equity and Equality Advisory Forum, providing system‑wide leadership on equity, representation, and accountability. Until 2025, she served as the Maternal Medicine Network Service User Reference Group Lead for the North West of England, a role she undertook to ensure that the voices and experiences of women and families were central to maternity service improvement. Following the publication of a report on perinatal and infant mental health in Black mothers in Greater Manchester, she established a dedicated perinatal and infant mental health service for Black women and families.

She is Chair of the NHS England North West Anti‑Racism Forum for Nurses and Midwives, a Board Member of the Race and Health Observatory Maternity Programme, and a member of the Nursing and Midwifery Council Maternity Strategic Advisory Group. She also serves as Chair of the Black Cardiovascular Disease Advisory Forum and Co‑Chair of the Diabetes UK Commission, contributing expertise on equity, community engagement, and the redesign of services for improved outcomes.

Her previous governance roles include serving as a Non‑Executive Director on two NHS Boards in the North West, where she provided leadership on equity, community partnership, and organisational accountability. During this period, she also served as Quality and Safety Lead Maternity Champion, supporting oversight of maternity quality, safety, and improvement across the system.

Faye is the author of a published book examining the intersections of race, health inequity, and structural disadvantage, drawing on her academic research and lived experience to inform national conversations on equity and systems change.

She also serves as a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, a civic appointment recognising her contribution to public service, community leadership, and the advancement of equity across the region.

Mr (Dr) Mohammed Kamara

Mr Mohammed S. I. Kamara is an accomplished Emergency Medicine Consultant with more than 35 years of clinical experience across the UK and Europe. His career has been defined by a deep commitment to high quality emergency care, medical leadership and improving outcomes for underserved communities.

As Senior Independent Director (SID), his role is to provide independent oversight, support strong governance and act as a trusted advisor to both the Chair and Chief Executive.

Beyond his clinical practice, Mr Kamara has built a significant profile through his leadership in community and diaspora organisations, particularly within Sierra Leonean and wider African communities in the UK. He has played key roles in shaping health and wellbeing initiatives, strengthening links between UK based clinicians and diaspora communities, and contributing to national forums on health inequalities. During the COVID 19 pandemic, he became a recognised voice, engaging in national webinars, public discussions and community outreach to support informed decision making and build trust in health services.

Mr Kamara is widely recognised for his work in tackling racial inequality and advancing health equity. Over many years, he has contributed to health education, representation and advocacy for Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, including through initiatives such as “Well Bodi Better Pass Gentri”, a forum focused on improving health literacy and wellbeing. His impact has been acknowledged through several local and national honours for clinical excellence, community service and contributions to health equity. Prior to joining the CAHN Board, he was also recognised at the CAHN Black Healthcare Awards for his outstanding service to Caribbean and African communities.

His commitment to CAHN is longstanding and deeply rooted. He has supported CAHN’s mission to eradicate health inequalities through clinical insight, community engagement and national advocacy in ways that empower communities across the UK.

Originally from Sierra Leone and long established in the UK, Mr Kamara brings a global perspective shaped by lived experience, professional breadth and a strong sense of purpose. He is married and a proud father of three, and his family remains a central source of strength and inspiration in his work.

Terry Roberts

Terry Roberts is the Chief People Officer at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH), one of the largest NHS teaching Trusts in England, and has been in post since February 2020. As a key member of the Trust Board, Terry has embedded the core values of excellence, compassion, respect, delivery, learning and improvement across the organisation during an unprecedented period for the NHS. Terry has Board level responsibility for Workforce, Organisational Development, Communications, Staff Engagement, Employee Relations, Equality, diversity and Inclusion, learning and development and culture and leadership. 

Terry is passionate about working with all people to have a positive impact on patient care and staff experience and is committed to making OUH a great place to work where all feel they belong.

Terry is currently the Co-Chair of the NHS People Profession Board where the focus is developing the 20,000 people professionals across the NHS.  He has also worked at a national level at NHS England as Joint Director of Equality and Inclusion where he led the development of a national equality and diversity improvement plan for the NHS.  He has also worked regionally to address health inequalities across the South-East during covid.  Before joining OUH, Terry has held a number of other senior positions within NHS Trusts across the country and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Terry was the 2023 Healthcare People Management Association (HPMA) HR Director of the Year and was also voted one of the HR Most Influential Top Practitioners List for HR Excellence Awards in 2023 and 2024. 

Charles Kwaku-Odoi

Charles Kwaku-Odoi DL MFPH is Chief Executive of the Caribbean & African Health Network (CAHN), a leading national Black health organisation at the forefront of reducing health

 Inequalities and wider disparities. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Greater Manchester, an honorary member of the esteemed Faculty of Public Health (FPH), and the honorary Ecumenical Canon at Manchester Cathedral.

He has trustees and board roles including the NHS Race and Health Observatory; Manchester Foundation Trust Council of Governors; and Government SAGE Ethnicity Subgroup. Charles was named in the Health Service Journal 50 most influential Black Asian and Minority Ethnic people in health in the UK for two years running (2022 & 2023).

Charles is a Patient Public Voice Partner for NHS HIV Clinical Reference Group and NHS Quality Governance Group. He is a great advocate for equity and fairness across a range of important health and wellbeing issues for people of the Caribbean and African Diaspora. He is involved in work that influences the research, policy, and practice at regional and national level.

His special interest includes civic and democratic participation, blood & organ donation HIV, domestic violence, modern slavery and hate crime. Reading, walking, and football are his hobbies.

X (former Twitter): @charleskod

LinkedIn: Charles Kwaku-Odoi

Professor Ngozi Edi-Osagie

Ngozi Edi-Osagie was appointed as a consultant neonatologist in 2002. She is the National Clinical Director for Neonatal care for NHS England with responsibility for promoting high-quality and safe care for babies and their families and supporting the Government’s objective of reducing stillbirths, neonatal deaths, brain injuries, and pre-term births.

Professor Edi-Osagie has broad clinical and leadership experience, having been a clinical lead, a clinical director, and a Clinical head of division of clinical services. She was a Group Associate Medical Director at MFT for 8 years overseeing support for doctors requiring professional support, and was a GMC performance assessor for over 10 years.

Professor Edi-Osagie was clinical lead for the development of a single hospital service across the city of Manchester overseeing the merge of 10 hospitals and community services into a single trust. She is involved in external investigations and peer review of neonatal services. She was the officer for Genomics at Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health from 2022 – 2024.

Ngozi Edi-Osagie is the neonatal representative on the Maternity and Neonatal group of the NHS Race and Health Observatory and is the medical adviser for the Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN).

Professor Edi-Osagie chairs the Neonatal Critical care CRG and co-chairs NHSE Neonatal Delivery Board and the Maternity and Neonatal Equity and Equality steering group. She is President of the Section of Paediatrics at the Manchester Medical Society.

Estephanie Dunn

Estephanie is a Registered Nurse (RN) with qualifications and experience in a range of care settings. After qualifying and working as a RN, she went on to qualify as a Midwife and worked in a tertiary specialist hospital as a ‘Night Sister’ prior to studying to become a Heath Visitor (RHV) and worked in three inner-City practices. Estephanie moved into Nurse education, initially as a Clinical Practice Teacher, completed a Diploma in Professional Studies of Nursing, a Certificate in Education (Adult FE) and a BSc (Hons) Nursing Science. She was appointed to one of the first Lecturer/Practitioner posts in North-East, working across the University of Northumbria and Gateshead Health Care.

In this role, Estephanie led the Children’s Service across the Trust and was the Named Nurse for Safeguarding. The post evolved into a Senior Nurse Business Manager role for the Child Health Directorate. She left that role to take up the post of General Manager for a City-Wide Learning Disability Service, during which time she undertook a part time secondment to A Strategic Health Authority, to support the health improvement for service users leaving a long stay establishment to live in community settings. She was then appointed to the post of Director of Nursing in a Primary Care Trust and left that role to work with The Turnaround Team at the Department of Health, working with organisations facing financial and system challenges across England.

She worked as an independent consultant, delivering projects on an interim basis and then joined an independent sector provider who supported people who have a learning disability and required a medium to low secure environment as a Hospital Director. Estephanie left this post to join the Royal College of Nursing as the Operational Manager for the Northern Region, leaving that position to take up the position of Regional Director for the North-West. She retired from this role in December 2024.

During her Career, Estephanie has worked in the following voluntary roles.

• Board Member for an Arts Studio providing support to people with Mental Health needs.
• CNO England BAME Strategic Advisory Group
• Justice of the Peace
• Member of the National Police Improvement Agency EDI Panel, this merged with the Home Office Strategic Advisory Group.
• Patron of Taste of Africa Charity.
• Ageing Well Ambassador, City of Sunderland Council (Current)

Estephanie enjoys spending time with family and friends, travel, the theatre, comedy, and music events. Playing golf (badly) and cooking different cuisines

Adanna Williams

Adanna is the Director for Workforce Strategy and Transformation for the South East Region at NHS England, where she leads teams to align regional workforce planning with national strategies. With over 20 years of NHS experience, she has also served as Deputy Director of

Nursing for Professional and Systems Development and as Regional Director of Programmes for Mental Health, Learning Disabilities, Autism, and SEND. As one of three National Programme Leads for the Covid-19 Vaccination Programme, she played a key role
in delivering this historic effort.

A registered mental health nurse practitioner and independent prescriber, Adanna combines clinical expertise with strategic leadership. She values empathy, collaboration, integrity, and
inclusivity, driving innovation and closing gaps in patient care.

Deeply committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), she chairs the South East Region BAME Network and contributes to the NHS’s Global Majority Nursing strategy, earning recognition during Black History Month.

An inspiring speaker, Adanna has hosted and presented at national and international conferences, including in Ghana, where she collaborated with the Ministry of Health and Education. In 2024, she joined the 68th Commission on the Status of Women by UN Women
UK, reflecting her dedication to empowering women and advancing health equity worldwide

Professor Ivan Browne OBE DL FFPH

Ivan Browne is a Professor in Public Health and the Social Determinants of Health at De Montfort University and is a non-executive board member for University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust. Born in Leicester, he is the son of proud ‘Windrush Generation’ West Indian parents and remains closely linked to this, as well as, many other local communities. He was formally the Director of Public Health and Sports Services for the City of Leicester and was at the forefront of leading the city through COVID 19 pandemic and the extended lockdown period the city experienced.

Ivan was in public service for over 35 years, working within both local government and NHS settings prior to his current academic role. Over this time, he has led a range of programmes focused on improving health and wellbeing of populations. In recent years he can increasingly be found in spaces that seek to reflect the importance of social justice, inclusion and equity.

Ivan is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health, where he has been awarded the President’s Medal for his contributions to Public Health. He is the recipient of an honorary of Doctor of the University degree from Loughborough University, and also been awarded the degree of Doctor of Science from Leicester University. He was identified as one of the Rising Stars in the Health Service Journals 50 most influential Black, Asian and Ethnic people in health in both 2022 and 2023. In 2023 he was awarded the Chief Medical Officer’s National Impact Award by the Association of Public Health Directors (ADPH). He was awarded an OBE for Services to Public Health in 2025 and currently serves as a Deputy Lieutenant for Leicester and Leicestershire.

Ivan is passionate about finding ways to tackle the significant levels of inequality particularly evident within multicultural urban environments like Leicester. He considers meeting the challenge of addressing social and educational inequalities within society crucial to any meaningful improvements in population health and wellbeing.