Selina Patel

I work in public health and I am passionate about reducing health inequality. Currently, I work on developing national guidance for the public and professionals on how they can reduce the risk of infectious disease to protect their health and the health of others around them. As part of this, I consider how recommendations included in guidance can be made interpretable, actionable, and equitable for groups across society. 

I have completed my PhD in Public Health, and have held related roles at the World Health Organization, NHS Foundation Trusts, and the UK Health Security Agency. I have also had experience working at METRO, where I was proud to contribute to the delivery of sexual health and wellbeing services to communities. 

I am now excited to return to METRO as a member of the Board of Trustees. My hope is to use my experience and skills in public health to support staff to continue delivering and improving key services in the community, and to demonstrate the meaningful and tangible impact of their work to support the health and wellbeing of traditionally underserved groups. Having grown up in one of the areas that METRO serves, I am familiar with how challenging it can be to access these kinds of community health and wellbeing services. As a public health professional, I know the level of positive change that such interventions can provide to individuals. 

At this current time, when narratives and priorities for equity and equality around the world seem uncertain and changeable, embracing and supporting the values of METRO seems more valuable than ever. Working to deliver on equity and empowerment of individuals, led by compassion and collaboration, could help us all to foster a community that can be the change we want to see. It's a real privilege to have the opportunity to support teams at METRO to continue to do this work.