Patrick Vernon OBE

Speaker Patrick Vernon OBE is a Clore Fellow, Associate Fellow for the Department of History of Medicine at Warwick University. He is also a member of Healthwatch England, NHS England Equality Diversity Council, Advisory board member for Time To Change and former member of the Labour and the Coalition government Ministerial Advisory for Mental Health.

Founder of Every Generation Media and 100 Great Black Britons, which develops education programmes, publications and films on cultural heritage and family history. Patrick was made Pioneer of the Nation for Cultural History by Queen Elizabeth II and is a leading expert on African and Caribbean genealogy in the UK.

He was also awarded a CRE Race in the Media award for the every generation website and in 2004 received two awards from the Windrush Awards for community leadership and new media. In 2010 The ‘Vernon Hall’ at The Chalkhill Health and Community Centre near Wembley Stadium was named in recognition of Patrick supporting the local community in the London borough of Brent as a former senior NHS manager.

Patrick has previously worked as a senior civil servant at the Department of Health, Director of the Brent Health Action Zone (Brent Primary Care Trust) and Regional Director for MIND , North West London Community Foundation and The Afiya Trust. Patrick is also a former Non Executive Director for East London& the City Health Authority, and Independent Chair of Westminster Partnership for Race Equality where he played a key role with the Metropolitan Police and the Muslim community with the aftermath of 7/7 in Westminster.

Patrick was awarded an OBE for his work in tackling health inequalities for ethnic minority communities in Britain. He has advised the BBC, The National Archives, The National Trust, the Royal Geographic Society, The V&A, and British Council. Patrick was a former Councillor for Hackney serving as Chair of Health Scrutiny.

Patrick is a trustee of Social Action for Health and North London Muslim Housing in Association in Hackney , Patron of Santé a refugee social enterprise based in Camden and also Champion for Project Mali.