Parveen Kumar, Pakistani-English physician and academic
Dame Parveen June Kumar, (born 1 June 1942) is a British doctor who is currently Professor of Medicine and Education at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. She worked in the NHS for over 40 years as a consultant gastroenterologist and physician at Barts and the London Hospitals and the Homerton University Hospital. She was the President of the British Medical Association in 2006, of the Royal Society of Medicine from 2010-2012, of the Medical Women's Federation from 2016-2018 and of the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund from 2013-2020. She was also Vice President of the Royal College of Physicians from 2003-2005. In addition, she was a founding non-executive director of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence, chaired the Medicines Commission UK until 2005, and also chaired the BUPA Foundation Charity for Research until 2013.
Kumar co-founded and co-edited Kumar and Clark's Clinical Medicine, which is now in its 10th edition, a standard medical textbook which is used around the world. Kumar has also held several leadership roles in medical education. She set up the first MSc course in Gastroenterology in the UK, and continues to teach, lecture and examine medical students and doctors across the globe. Apart from medical education, she is also very interested in global health and set up the Global Health Initiative at the Royal Society of Medicine when she was President.
Kumar was awarded DBE in 2017, CBE in 2000, the BMA Gold Medal in 2007, and was the first Asian Professional Woman of the year in 1999. She also has several other honours and honorary degrees.