My name is Chanelle Smith. I am an FY1 doctor working in East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

I was featured in the Guardian, the Bristol Post, the Epigram and interviewed by BBC Bristol Radio to share my experiences volunteering as a medical student during the pandemic. This led me to be featured within a children’s book honouring Captain Sir Tom Moore: One Hundred Reasons to Hope. I have now been selected to become an ambassador for the Captain Tom Foundation and I will be working on projects alongside my medical work to support the foundation.

During my studies, I became determined to resolve some of the health inequalities that exist in the BAME community. I have recently contributed to a dermatology textbook, Dermatology Cases in Skin of Colour, that educates medical professionals about skin conditions in different ethnicities. I have strived to improve healthcare for BAME mothers and newborns through my role as an ambassador for BAME Maternity and have been invited to speak at their conferences about the impacts of health inequalities. I will be helping to raise money for The Brun Bear Foundation through hikes and an epic adventure to Greece.

South-African born, I have always tried to stay connected with my roots. My work empowering black communities in Ghana has won me the Pius Adesanmi Memorial Student Award for outstanding contribution to Pan-Africanism. My work was celebrated by the University of Bristol for International Women’s Day and I have been invited back to a regional conference to inspire the next generation of medical students.