Professor Diane Ashiru-Oredope is one of the UK’s most influential public health leaders, whose work has had a lasting national and international impact on patient safety, antimicrobial resistance and health equity.
]Her career brings together scientific research, professional practice and public service. Across these areas, she has helped shape how healthcare responds to major challenges while championing the people whose knowledge and experience are essential to meeting them.
As Lead Pharmacist for Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections at the UK Health Security Agency, Diane has played a pivotal role in shaping the UK’s response to antimicrobial resistance.
She has also served as Deputy Chief Scientist at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and holds an honorary chair as Professor of Pharmaceutical Public Health at the University of Nottingham. These responsibilities connect policy, practice and academia, bringing research into the decisions that influence healthcare.
Diane is internationally recognised for her leadership in antimicrobial stewardship. She led the development of nationally adopted programmes such as Start Smart – Then Focus and created the global Antibiotic Guardian campaign, launched in 2014.
Through Antibiotic Guardian, she has helped bring public attention to an issue often discussed primarily within scientific and clinical settings. The campaign has encouraged awareness and changes in behaviour across the UK and internationally, reflecting her commitment to involving people in protecting public health.
Her leadership also includes chairing the English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance, known as ESPAUR. This work places robust evidence at the centre of policy and practice.
Alongside her scientific contribution, Diane has been a committed advocate for equity, mentoring and inclusion within healthcare. She has delivered national work on mentoring trainees from minoritised backgrounds and addressing the systemic barriers faced by Black and minority ethnic pharmacy professionals.
Her approach recognises the importance of both encouragement and opportunity. Mentoring, sponsorship and culturally competent leadership can help professionals progress through education and training, while ensuring that their experiences are understood and their contributions valued.
Through this work, Diane has helped create more supportive environments for future generations of healthcare professionals. Her commitment to inclusion is an important part of how she leads and how she encourages others to lead.
She is also a prolific researcher and communicator, contributing to more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and serving on international editorial boards. She advises governments, global health organisations and professional bodies on antimicrobial resistance and pharmaceutical public health.
Her commitment to public engagement includes TEDx talks and wider speaking work, helping audiences beyond the healthcare professions understand complex scientific issues. This ability to communicate across different settings strengthens the connection between research and the communities it serves.
Her achievements have received wide recognition. These include being named Public Health Pharmacist of the Year, receiving the Peter Wildy Prize Lecture, and election as a Fellow of both the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association.
Professor Diane Ashiru-Oredope exemplifies Black British excellence in public service. She combines scientific rigour with compassionate leadership and a sustained commitment to equity.
She deserves recognition for the breadth of that contribution: advancing public health, strengthening professional practice and supporting others to fulfil their potential. Her work demonstrates how leadership can protect the health of communities while opening opportunities for the people who will care for them in the future.