Dr Clare Gerada, a GP in Lambeth, has been elected chair of the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) – the first female chair of the College since Dr Annis Gillie 50 years ago.
Dr Gerada (pictured) will be the 21st RCGP chair and will hold the post for three years, succeeding Professor Steve Field in November 2010. She will take on the title of chair-elect in June 2010.
Dr Gerada is currently Vice Chair of the RCGP Council and immediate past Chair of the RCGP’s Ethics Committee. She also established the College’s Substance Misuse Unit.
She has written several articles for Management in Practice informed by her expertise in the fields of ethics and substance misuse issues in general practice (see article links below).
A Lambeth GP since 1991, Dr Gerada worked in psychiatry prior to general practice, at the Maudsley Hospital in South London, specialising in substance misuse.
She is currently the Medical Director of the Practitioner Health Programme (PHP) – a service for sick health professionals – and will continue to provide services to the PHP throughout her tenure as RCGP Chair.
Dr Gerada said: “It is an enormous privilege to be appointed Chair of the RCGP at such a significant and historic time for general practice.
“As a frontline clinician, I am well aware of the of the major challenges – and opportunities – facing modern general practice and am looking forward to leading the College through the next exciting stage of its development, including our 60th anniversary in 2012.”
Dr Gerada’s articles for MiP:
What should you do if you suspect a GP in your practice is abusing alcohol or drugs?
