The Future Health Leaders Programme is a transformative initiative designed to cultivate the next generation of healthcare leaders. It aims to equip participants with the essential knowledge, skills, and innovative mindset necessary to navigate and reshape the evolving healthcare landscape.
In its inaugural year the program consisted of a series of four virtual sessions throughout the year, culminating in a two-day in-person event at Windsor Castle. Participants engaged with renowned speakers, collaborated on future projects, and received mentorship to enhance their leadership capabilities.
The cohort included a diverse group of emerging health leaders from various backgrounds, including medicine, public health, nursing, and academia. Each member was selected for their potential to drive meaningful change in healthcare, making them integral to the mission of improving health and wellbeing for all.
Upon completing the programme, the Future Health Leaders become fellows of the College. The next cohort is due to be recruited late 2026 – check back here for further details.
Here is our inaugural cohort…
Kunle Adewale
Kunle Adewale is a Nigerian-born, UK-based multimedia artist, curator, and mental health advocate. He founded Arts in Medicine Projects and the Global Arts in Medicine Fellowship, training over 1,000 professionals from 60 countries, impacting 50,000+ people.
Adewale’s art engagements have benefited diverse groups, including children with mental illnesses, cancer patients, inmates, refugees, and seniors with dementia, across Nigeria, UK, Ireland, and the US. His programmes have been featured globally, and he has received numerous accolades, including the Kunle Adewale Day in Cincinnati and the Commonwealth Youth Worker Award.
Kunle spearheaded Nigeria’s first National Arts in Health Conference and the inaugural National Arts in Health Week in 2022. He is a member of the WHO-Jameel Arts and Health Lab Steering Committee and the WHO Arts and Wellbeing Cohort, championing the integration of arts and health worldwide.
Najnin Islam
Najnin Islam, a Nutritionist by background, has worked in acute and community NHS settings, providing oral nutrition advice. She managed a Social Prescribing service and developed a national training programme for link workers at the Bromley by Bow Centre. Najnin also worked on the Mental Health Transformation programme and led the development of the community connectors programme at East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT).
Najnin previously worked as the Deputy Director of Healthcare Integration at the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP), where she led the strategic oversight of the Healthcare Integration programme with a focus on integrated care and workforce development.
She is currently a Partnerships Development Director for the North East London (NEL) VCSE Collaborative, part of the NEL Integrated Care Board (ICB).
Najnin is passionate about addressing health inequalities through meaningful co- production and partnerships, particularly involving lived experience.
Julze Alejandre
Julze is a health promotion and policy specialist with over 10 years of experience in government, non-profit organisations, and academia. A Research Fellow in Public Engagement at the University of Edinburgh, Julze previously worked for the Philippine government’s health and social welfare departments, focusing on health and nutrition policy development.
He has served as a technical consultant for the WHO, spearheading the Philippine strategic plan for trans-fatty acid elimination in the food supply. Julze completed his PhD in sustainable healthcare and implementation science at Glasgow Caledonian University, developing Scotland’s first Blue-Green Prescribing Programme for primary mental healthcare.
With an MSc in Public Health and Health Promotion from Bangor University and a BSc in Nutrition from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, he is interested in knowledge mobilisation, stakeholder engagement, behaviour change interventions, social prescribing, and sustainable healthcare.
Ganna Baraniuk
Ganna is a dedicated medical professional originally from Ukraine. She graduated from Donetsk National Medical University in 2014 and completed her specialty training in Portugal, obtaining her license in 2018. From 2019 to 2022, Ganna worked in Emergency Medicine and General Practice in Portuguese hospitals.
After receiving GMC registration, she started as a Junior Clinical Fellow in the Emergency Department at West Middlesex University Hospital, London. Ganna is now preparing for GP training to advance her career in General Practice. With interests in dancing, languages, hiking, art, and intellectual debates, she is an empathetic and proactive individual committed to making a positive impact.
Mohsin Choudry
Mohsin is a GP in Northwest London with an interest in lifestyle and functional medicine. He is the clinical lead for diabetes and health inequalities in Ealing. He is a firm believer in looking for the root causes of so many of our chronic diseases particularly those that originate in the gut. He has extensive board and committee level experience having represented organisations at a national level.
He is an award-winning doctor and was appointed as clinical fellow to the National Medical Director in 2015 where he gained extensive leadership and management skills as well as working at national level on quality improvement and patient safety for the Royal College of Physicians.
Mohsin was guest editor for a full journal edition on prevention and inequality for the Future Healthcare Journal collating wide variety of authors including His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. He is passionate about food and wellbeing, and explore how to break down barriers to make healthy eating. and living accessible for all.
Liam Loftus
Liam Loftus is a GP Trainee in Cambridge with a passion for tackling health inequalities through Primary Care. He trained at Oxford, where he pursued his leadership interests as Clinical School President, leading a fundraising initiative that generated over £200,000 and the subsequent redevelopment of the clinical school building.
Liam also directed the Student First Responders Scheme, overseeing 1,000 hours of volunteer responding in the local community. During his Foundation Years in Liverpool, Liam delivered improvements in
patient safety, workforce development, and peer education. As a Leadership Fellow, he co-developed “The Leadership Ladder” platform.
Liam has undertaken projects to increase uptake of the National Diabetes Prevention Programme and improve fit note issuance. Representing GP Trainees on the Cambs Local Medical Committee and as Health Inequalities Lead at Cambridge Foodbank, he aims to drive change in reducing health inequalities.
Dr Maria Cordovez
Dr Maria Cordovez is an Ecuadorian medical professional pursuing a master’s degree in Eating Disorders and Clinical Nutrition at University College London (UCL). With a solid foundation in medical principles and a deep understanding of holistic patient care, her motivation stems from a desire to shift the focus from disease treatment to prevention and health enhancement. Specialising in eating disorders, she aims to utilise her knowledge to develop effective interventions and support systems for individuals struggling with these conditions.
Rachel Howard
Dr Rachel Howard is an Academic Foundation Doctor at the University of Cambridge. She earned her medical degree from the University of Liverpool and a master’s degree with distinction from UCL in Reproductive Science &. Women’s Health. Dr. Howard has led both national and international research projects, focusing on women’s and children’s health, earning recognition as lead author. Passionate about medical education, she aims to integrate teaching into her clinical- academic career in paediatrics, following a PhD in Neonatology.
Nele Jensen
Nele Jensen is a Lecturer in Global Health & Social Medicine in the Department of Global Health & Social Medicine at Kings College London. As a trained medical doctor and sociologist, much of her work has sought to critically examine the nexus of problems and their solutions as they are articulated in the global health field/by biomedicine, such as in the context of demands for evidence-based/informed health policy and strive for global health Equity. She is particularly interested in research and programmatic efforts undertaken in the name of global health in sub-Saharan Africa, and in their conceptual implications and practical consequences for questions of scientific authority, politics, ontology, ethics and justice.
Dr Teodora Popa
Dr Teodora Popa (PhD) is a London-based scientist in the field of genetics and human reproduction. As lecturer and Director of the Reproductive Science and Women’s Health programme at University College London (UCL), she passionately teaches an all-female cohort of clinicians and scientists about the role of technology in health and reproductive medicine. Teodora is also the Chief Innovation Officer at Avenues Life in London, the world’s first fertility clinic which integrates artificial intelligence at every step of the patient journey to improve medical outcomes, based on personalised, data-driven approaches. Her research at UCL focuses on integrating AI in IVF to improve success rates and patient control over their reproductive journey, influencing international clinical practices in personalised medicine through top publications and contributing to the Government’s Women’s Health Strategy.
John Wells
John has over 20 years’ experience as a healthcare assistant before studying a BSc Nursing Degree at Liverpool John Moores University, where he achieved first-class honours. As the Social Prescribing Co-Ordinator for Student Nurses and Midwives UK (2022-23), he forged professional connections. Awarded ‘Most Inspirational Student of the Year 2023’ by the Nursing Times and Patient Experience Educator of Tomorrow at the PENN Awards, John has strong affiliations with healthcare organisations like the Florence Nightingale Foundation and RCNi. John has worked alongside Sue Tranka and the Welsh government on the Welsh Social Prescribing Framework in 2023. Since January 2024, John has been working as a general practice nurse and research nurse, striving for better. healthcare access for all.
Dr Bogdan Chiva Giurca
Bogdan is a medical doctor currently working as the Clinical Lead and Global Director of the National Academy for Social Prescribing. Bogdan has worked in the development of Social Prescribing in England since 2015 through establishing and chairing the NHS England Social Prescribing Champion Scheme (2015-2022) consisting of over 20,000 doctors, medical and healthcare trainees. His work has influenced national and international healthcare policy, instrumental to scaling social prescribing globally by hosting delegations and ministerial visits from over 30 countries, as well as implementing social prescribing in the core curricula of the majority of universities across the UK. As an Honorary Lecturer, Bogdan currently lectures at UCL as part of the MASc on Creative Health. He holds teaching roles at Imperial College London, Harvard Global Health Institute, and was named ‘Top 100 Most Influential People in Health’ in the UK (Health Service Journal Top 100, 2022).
Hamaad Khan
Hamaad Khan is a graduate medical student, currently working as Global Development Officer for the National Academy for Social Prescribing. He studied Neuroscience at King’s College London (BSc) and went on to complete his MSc in Global Health and Development at University College London before starting medical school. His research on international social prescribing models led him to author its first global report in collaboration with the WHO. Passionate about championing this learning clinically, he co-leads the Global Social Prescribing Student Council to advance social prescribing teaching across health curricula.
Hamaad was the youngest awardee for the Hillary International Award for Health & Care Leadership (2022), won the Royal Society of Medicine Doubleday prize (2023) and received a Patient Revolution Fellowship for his advocacy in health care improvement and patient empowerment.