A leader from the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Dr Ananta Dave, chief medical officer for the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) was presented the award in recognition of her outstanding service and contribution to psychiatry.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the professional medical body responsible for supporting psychiatrists throughout their careers from training through to retirement, and in setting and raising standards of psychiatry in the United Kingdom.
The Honorary Fellowship award is the highest accolade that the college can give members and is presented to individuals who have demonstrated a distinguished service to humanity in relation to the study, prevention or treatment of mental illness or psychiatry throughout their careers.
Dr Dave took up the post of Chief Medical Officer when the ICB launched on 1 July 2022. Prior to this, she held a number of leadership roles in Midlands Trusts, including Executive Medical Director at Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Clinical Director at the former Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership Trust.
She is Immediate Past President of the British Indian Psychiatric Association, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and holds Masters degrees in psychological medicine and in medical ethics and law. In 2022, she was named “Doctor of the Year" at the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) Awards, and she is also an experienced medical educator and clinician who has established and led new services, especially in areas of asylum seeker and refugee mental health, autism services for children and young people and suicide prevention.
Dr Ananta Dave, Chief Medical Officer for the NHS Black Country ICB, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have received this honour from the Royal College of Psychiatrists
“I am proud to be a psychiatrist and I’m committed to continuing my efforts in psychiatry and healthcare to help nurture psychiatrists, both current and future ones, and help make services fit for our diverse communities.”
Mark Axcell, Chief Executive Officer for the NHS Black Country ICB, said: “We are delighted that Dr Ananta Dave has been recognised with an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of her work in the field of psychiatry, which is thoroughly well-deserved.
“She is an inspiration to colleagues and a brilliant ambassador for the ICB.”
