Professor Bola Owolabi

Gilead & Kite Campaigner for Health Equity Award

The Gilead & Kite Campaigner for Health Equity Award was awarded to Professor Bola Owolabi by Clara Amfo. Bola is a GP and director of the Health Inequalities and Improvement Team, working to reduce disparities in access and outcome for NHS treatment.

Professor Bola Owolabi said “It’s both an honour and a privilege to be a recipient of the Gilead Woman of the Year Award. Tackling health inequalities is complex work and requires a super-matrix way of working involving action across multiple organisations and sectors. The NHS England National Healthcare Inequalities team which I have the privilege of leading have provided clarity of vision, ambition, and direction in this space, which has in turn galvanised whole system energy and momentum to drive change. I dedicate this Award wholeheartedly to my team.”

Dr Véronique Walsh, General Manager & VP, UK & Ireland, Gilead Sciences, said “Professor Bola’s commitment to eliminating health inequalities serves as an inspiration to us all. She works tirelessly to ensure that those unseen and unheard communities and individuals in the margins are helped and can access support. Too often many in society face disparities in their health outcomes, so Bola’s Core20PLUS5 is a critical approach to addressing inequalities and gives us all the agency to act and make a change.

At Gilead Sciences our focus goes beyond medicines, as we know innovation will have the most impact on patients when we help remove societal barriers to care.  Bola, thank you for your significant contribution to creating a healthier and more equitable society. Congratulations on this well-deserved award!”