Dietitian wins Parliament’s Inspiring Indian Women Award
Specialist Dietitian Alka Pandey won the ‘Promising Professional’ award at the Inspiring Indian Women (IIW) Awards, presented at the Houses of Parliament earlier this month.
The IIW She Inspires Awards are open to women all over the world from any ethnicity. The nominees go through two rounds of evaluation and only 40 to 50 make it to the finals at Parliament.
Alka Pandey was chosen for her work as a dietitian over the years, not only for her work at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust but also for her voluntary work. For example, she supported NHS England’s diabetes group during the COVID 19 pandemic, making videos to improve vaccination uptake amongst both type 1 and type 2 diabetics. Alka uses her social media platforms to help educate and empower people to improve their health. This includes working with local charity organisations within the South Asian community. The likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes is reported to be as much as 6 times higher in South Asians than in Europeans.
On receiving the award, Alka said: “I feel ecstatic, proud, and humbled at the same time to win the ‘Promising Professional’ award. To win this at the Houses of Parliament was a cherry on top of the cake for a first-generation immigrant who came to make a life for themselves here in the UK. Walking into the Houses of Parliament was like walking into magnificent British history and making memories for a lifetime.”