Indian-origin doctor Dame Parveen Kumar receives UK’s highest royal honour

Dame Parveen Kumar. PIC/INSTAGRAM@oldsanawariansociety

Dame Parveen Kumar, a leading gastroenterologist and champion of women in healthcare, has been awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE), the highest rank within the Order of the British Empire, in King Charles III's 2026 Birthday Honours list.

Kumar, Professor Emerita of Medicine and Education at Queen Mary University of London's Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, was recognised "for services to Global Medical Education and Health".

According to her citation, Kumar co-authored the globally used textbook Kumar and Clark's Clinical Medicine, raised £1,00,000 (Rs 1.27 crore) as President of the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund, and helped establish a confidential helpline for doctors in distress.

The annual honours list, released to mark the King's official birthday, recognises 1182 people across the UK for outstanding contributions to society.

"Across the UK, people are quietly changing lives and strengthening their communities. This Honours List is a chance to recognise them," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. "Their dedication shows how lasting change is built through compassion, resilience and a commitment to others."

Nearly 35 Indian-origin individuals featured in the honours list, including public servant Kunal Patel and technology entrepreneur Vishal Kumar.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever