South Asian Heritage Month: Q&A with RCP president Professor Mumtaz Patel
RCP president Professor Mumtaz Patel answers a series of questions reflecting on how her South Asian heritage has shaped her life and work, in response to South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM)’s theme ‘roots to routes’. This theme was also covered by SAHM co-founder Dr Binita Kane FRCP in the latest edition of Commentary.
This year’s theme for SAHM is 'roots to routes'. What comes to mind when you hear that, and can you share a moment in your life where your cultural roots influenced a decision or direction you took?
What comes to mind when I hear this is how proud I am of my cultural roots. My mum always used to say however far you go, you should never forget your roots and where you came from. Everything I do is grounded from my cultural history and background.
I am second generation South Asian, and my parents came from India in the late 1960s. Despite my dad being a qualified engineer, he had to work in the cotton mills, and he started off with very little. My mum was a housewife and a wonderful mother who always instilled in us the value of education. I never forgot these things and I wanted to do well for them. What I have achieved in my life is because of my parents and for my parents. I lost my mum when I had just become a new consultant, and I think she would be very proud to see me now as president of the RCP!
Have you had any personal or work experiences that really opened your eyes to why cultural heritage and diversity matter?
When I first did my work experience as a 17-year-old A-level student at my local hospital, I introduced myself on the first day with my name, Mumtaz Patel. The sister who was in charge said that my name was too difficult and I was called ‘Anne’ for my 2 weeks of work experience on the wards. It was such a strange experience at the time, and I was upset by it.
Over the years, I have been, and I still am, a huge advocate for celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion. My cultural heritage has shaped me as a person, and it is great to be able to celebrate this now. It is important to stand up for this for our patients, staff and colleagues to create a supportive and inclusive culture and a working environment that thrives with the diverse representation and talent.
South Asian culture is wonderfully rich and diverse, from music, food and festivals to languages, values and traditions. What aspects of South Asian culture are you personally most drawn to, and why do they resonate with you?
I am drawn to a lot of the South Asian culture. Food is a big part of our culture and many of our social gatherings and the communities we are part of. I grew up with music and films, particularly Bollywood films and songs, and I enjoyed watching and listening to them.
Values wise, family and looking after each other is very important. Trust, honesty, integrity and respect are values instilled in me since I was very young and they are what I try and adhere to day to day.
Do you have a favourite cultural dish or family tradition?
Our favourite cultural dish is Biryani – my mum always used to make this for special occasions such as our Eid festival. I continue to do the same and carry on the tradition.
With the theme being ‘roots to routes’, how do you continue to carry on family heritage (roots) with your own family living in the UK (routes) and for your future generations?
I continue to carry on the family heritage roots to the next generation of my own family living in the UK, particularly my children, nieces and nephews. This is embodied in the way we live our day to day lives, practice our faith and continue the cultural traditions at home with the community. My dad has lived with us since my mum passed away and he has been fantastic with sharing stories and traditions of our roots with the children and family.
What is one great accomplishment or contribution in medicine or education you are proud of that is credited to South Asian culture or people?
I am most proud of the Global Women Leaders programme that I developed back in 2020. I designed it and have now delivered it with the support of the RCP Global and Education team in Pakistan and India. We have launched and delivered sessions in Jordan, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. The overall feedback from the programme has been very positive from individuals as well as driving system change, which is what I was striving to do.
I am also very proud to have been elected the 123rd president of the RCP in April 2025 and being the first president of South Asian background. I am proud to be the first Asian female and first Muslim president of RCP.
This milestone has been warmly welcomed by RCP members. In her Commentary article, Dr Binita Kane writes: 'As a South Asian woman, witnessing the election of another South Asian woman as president of the RCP was both powerful and profoundly moving – a moment that, not long ago, would have felt unimaginable. This milestone stands on the shoulders of those who came before us; it is the result of the resilience, perseverance and quiet sacrifices of earlier generations.’
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