Aggrey Burke 1943-2025
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dr Aggrey Burke. He was a legend. The first Black consultant psychiatrist to work in the NHS and went on to lead an inspirational career which lasted more than 40 years.
Dr Burke first came to national prominence when he and his colleague Professor Joe Collier courageously exposed and challenged racial bias within the medical school system. This was controversial but nevertheless their work and perseverance resulted in reforms in the school selection processes.
He also championed the needs of Black people affected by mental illness and was a prominent supporter of Black families impacted by the 1981 New Cross house fire.
Dr Burke’s many contributions and achievements were recognised when he was presented with the College’s President’s Medal in 2020. His legacy will continue through the Aggrey Burke Fellowship which has supported Black medical students to pursue a career in psychiatry since 2023.
RCPsych President, Dr Lade Smith CBE said:
"Aggrey was a giant in psychiatry who made a significant difference to lots of people’s lives without them even knowing. I had the honour to get to know him later in his life. He was an incredibly interesting character, a raconteur with a great sense of humour. He never stopped being passionate about psychiatry and will be missed."
We send our sincere condolences to everyone who knew him, particularly his family and loved ones.
Aggrey Burke Fellowship
As part of our Equality Action Plan, in 2023 we launched a new fellowship scheme to encourage and support Black medical students to pursue a career in psychiatry. The fellowship is named after the first Black psychiatrist to work in the NHS, Dr Aggrey Burke. Dr Burke first came to national prominence when he and a colleague, Professor Joe Collier, courageously blew the whistle on the racist admissions policies run by some medical schools.
He was also a prominent supporter of the Black families affected by the 1981 New Cross house fire – and has done much work relating to mental illness in Black families. He was awarded the President’s Medal in 2020 by former RCPsych President Professor Wendy Burn.
The fellowship scheme was developed by the then Presidential Leads for Race and Equality, Dr Lade Smith MBE, and Dr Rajesh Mohan.
Podcast: Reflections from the first Aggrey Burke Fellows
In this podcast recorded for Black History Month 2025, we hear from the first cohort of Aggrey Burke Fellowship participants. They discuss their motivations for joining, memorable experiences, the importance of representation in psychiatry, and the challenges they faced. They also reflect on how the fellowship has shaped their perspectives on mental health, career development, the significance of networking and mentorship in their journey as future psychiatrists, and what it means to stand in power and pride.
