RCPsych in Wales Devolved Council

We are a devolved nation and council of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. 

  • Professor Alka Ahuja MBE, Chair
  • Dr Alberto Salmoiraghi, Vice Chair
  • Dr Bala Oruganti, Regional Advisor
  • Dr Paul Emmerson, Head of School
  • Dr Haitham Barkouk, Elected Member
  • Dr Alan Slater, Undergraduate Lead, Cardiff University
  • Professor Ian Jones, NCMH Representative
  • Professor Keith Lloyd, Welsh Psychiatric Society Representative
  • Dr Neda Mehrpooya, Recruitment and Retention Officer (Outgoing)
  • Dr Jen Rankin, Mentoring Officer
  • Dr Jacqueline Palmer, SAS Representative
  • Dr Alison Shaw, SAS Representative
  • Dr Mostafa Abdellatif, PTC Representative
  • Dr Nermeen Ahmed, PTC Representative
  • Dr Wamiqur Rehman Gakdhar, PTC Representative
  • Dr Jan Melichar, Addictions Psychiatry Faculty
  • Dr Divya Sakhuja, Perinatal Psychiatry Faculty
  • Dr Akhtar Khan, Liaison Psychiatry Faculty
  • Dr Amani Hassan, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Faculty (Outgoing)
  • Dr Kishore Kale, General Adult Psychiatry Faculty 
  • Dr Katie Fergus, Rehabilitation Psychiatry Faculty 
  • Dr Isabella Jurewicz, Eating Disorder Psychiatry Faculty
  • Professor James Walters, Academic Psychiatry Faculty
  • Dr Tom Wynne, Forensic Psychiatry Faculty
  • Dr Ben Duffin-Jones, Forensic Psychiatry Faculty
  • Dr Sharmi Bhattacharyya, Old Age Psychiatry Faculty
  • Dr Seth Mensah, Neuropsychiatry Faculty
  • Dr Seb Viola, Medical Psychotherapy Faculty
  • Dr Penny Letchford, Intellectual Disability Psychiatry Faculty
  • Dr Kishore Kale, RCPsych Wales Equality Champion
  • Dr Tania Bugelli, RCPsych Wales Sustainability Champion
  • Dr Neda Mehrpooya, RCPsych Wales Wellbeing Champion

Our Devolved Council is our main decision-making body and meets four times a year. Our Faculty groups are represented at Council, and also meet separately.

All enquiries for Council and Faculty meetings should be directed to Annie Fabian.

Currently we have a couple of vacancies on our Devolved Council

  • RCPsych Wales Recruitment & Retention Officer (opens in August)
  • RCPsych Wales Equity Champion

Council meets on 4 occasions a year, and is due to meet on the following dates over 2024:

  • 15 March (in-person)
  • 5 July
  • 20 September (in-person)
  • 6 December
Read more to receive further information regarding a career in psychiatry