Professor Subodh Dave
2026 Presidential candidate
Professor Subodh Dave, Consultant Psychiatrist, Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust; Professor of Psychiatry, University of Greater Manchester; Dean, Royal College of Psychiatrists
Video statement
Hi, I’m Subodh Dave, Consultant Adult Liaison Psychiatrist in Derbyshire and the Dean of the College.
My journey began in an underprivileged community in Mumbai. Becoming a doctor was a dream shaped by my parents’ aspiration and ambition. That experience instilled in me a belief in confident, compassionate and inspirational medical leadership. And that is why I’m standing to be your next President.
I know this is a tough time for psychiatry and for psychiatrists. Across the four nations, and indeed globally, demand is rising, complexity is increasing, and too many of us are working in overstretched, underfunded systems. Many colleagues feel exhausted and scrutinised rather than supported, and are concerned, rightly so, about the future of our profession.
I see those challenges, I hear them, and I believe we can address them together. We need strong medical leadership that places psychiatry firmly at the heart of healthcare. Our biopsychosocial expertise is unique. When we as psychiatrists lead, services are safer, more effective and more person centred.
If elected as your President, I will focus on five priorities.
First, I will strengthen the influence of psychiatrists at team, organisational and policy levels, so that frontline expertise shapes service design and delivery.
Second, I will use the College’s influence to drive optimal patient outcomes - ensuring safe, consistent use of evidence-based treatments like Clozapine, Lithium and ECT that narrow the mortality gap for people with severe mental illness.
Third, I will help build a workforce that is sufficiently staffed, diverse and truly supported to thrive. Scapegoating and fear inhibit good practice. Building on my work to support Doctors in Distress, as President, I will champion a culture of care, learning and relational psychiatry.
Fourth, I will champion prevention and public mental health by promoting early intervention, secondary and tertiary prevention across the life course.
And fifth, I will lead on cutting edge innovation in applied research, digital technology and funding models to improve patient care and to make psychiatrists’ working life better.
As Dean, from MindMasters quiz to Dean’s Grand Rounds, public Mental health leadership course to the College’s first ever Diploma I have proven my ability to translate my ideas to action.
As President, I will bring my marathoner’s determination and tenacity to help psychiatry reclaim the leadership role at the centre stage of healthcare.
Together, we members across the globe, can include, innovate and implement. Let’s build a stronger future for our profession and for the patients and families we serve.
Vote for me.
Summary statement
As President, I will be an ambitious champion for Psychiatrists, led by key priorities focussing on
- Enhancing the impact and influence of Psychiatrists
- Driving optimal patient outcomes
- Supporting a diverse workforce to thrive
- Leading prevention and public mental health
- Implementing future focussed innovation.
Let’s include, innovate and implement together.
Election address
Coming from an underprivileged background in Mumbai, and becoming the first doctor in my community was a dream made possible by the aspiration and ambition that my parents instilled in me. This journey shaped my belief in confident, compassionate and aspirational medical leadership. That’s why I’m running for President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Psychiatry is under siege. Demand for mental healthcare is rising rapidly in scale and complexity, while psychiatrists are working within increasingly overstretched and underfunded systems. We must move beyond parity of esteem and place psychiatry at the heart of healthcare – utilising our unique biopsychosocial and systemic expertise to deliver true person-centred care.
I have five priorities:
- Enhancing the impact and influence of psychiatrists at team, organisational, system and policy levels. Psychiatrists are the only members of the multidisciplinary team with comprehensive biopsychosocial expertise, yet this is too often sidelined in clinical decision-making, service design and funding. As President, I will connect frontline psychiatrists with system leaders and policymakers, ensuring that clinical expertise genuinely shapes care pathways, workforce planning and resource allocation.
- Using the College’s influence with healthcare providers to drive optimal patient outcomes. As psychiatrists we want to see our patients receive timely, evidence-based, person-centred care. Safe, effective and consistent implementation of evidence-based treatments such as clozapine, lithium and ECT, saves lives and costs – helping narrow the mortality gap that patients with severe mental illness face.
- Ensuring our workforce is sufficiently staffed, diverse and supported to thrive. Scapegoating and a culture of fear can inhibit good psychiatric practice. I’ll champion a culture of care, relational safety and support over undue scrutiny. Over decades, I’ve worked to address discrimination and inequity - whether for Doctors in Distress or international medical graduates or for colleagues with neurodivergence. I will ensure that psychiatrists at every career stage feel heard and empowered.
- Championing prevention and public mental health. I will promote the effective delivery of secondary and tertiary prevention, for instance metformin, smoking cessation or evidence-based lifestyle interventions, but also early intervention across the life course.
- Leading the way in implementing cutting-edge innovation – through applied research and leveraging technical and digital advances to make psychiatrists’ working life easier. Learning from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the College must innovate too, in empowering regions to influence local policy and funding decisions to achieve the best outcomes for their communities.
From securing the largest increase in training numbers, initiating Dean's Grand Rounds, The Public Mental Health Leadership Certification course, Digital Literacy Framework, to the establishment of the College’s first International Diploma in Old Age Psychiatry, I am proud of my record as Dean in translating ideas to action.
If elected, I will bring my marathoner’s determination, endurance and tenacity to the role of President. I will help Psychiatry reclaim its leadership role and work in collaboration with patients and carers for better outcomes for all involved. Let’s build a brighter future for Psychiatry.
Together, let’s include, innovate and implement.
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