Ethnicity and Race Members

Dr Lois Haruna-Cooper (Staff)

I am an Associate Professor (Teaching) with the Centre for International Medical Education Collaborations (CIMEC). I am a former co-chair of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee, and lead the Race subcommittee, and am a member of Medical Schools Council’s (MSC) EDI Alliance. I am passionate about actively promoting that EDI culture embedded throughout the medical school and encourage faculty to actively engage with EDI. 

My work with the EDI committee and medical students earnt a UCL Educational Award, and the Provost Education Award in 2021, reflecting my ongoing commitment to work collaboratively with staff and students and improve EDI across the medical school. Most recently I contributed to the MSC’s Decolonising medical and dental curricula guide. 

I work as a medical tutor for the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education, delivering clinical skills workshops for pharmacists delivering the NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS). 

I volunteer with UCLMS’ widening participation project Target Medicine, attending events and supporting student mentors’ training. I am a UCLMS MBBS alumnus, and completed Master’s in Health Professions Education at UCL. 

In my clinical role, I am a GP and locum in practices in and around Luton. I have had a deep-seated passion for education, and since my early teens have volunteered with various organisations to educate and empower young people including Hackney Summer University, Millennium volunteers, ReachOut!, Tolerance in Diversity, and was a Millennium Award recipient in 2002. 

Through my personal experience and various roles, I hope to use my experience to support positive change to improve racial discrimination in the medical school and improve students’ experience. 

Nicola Ho (Staff)

I’m Nicola, a Project Manager at the UCL Centre for International Medical Education Collaborations (CIMEC). I work closely with UCL colleagues to support our partners in developing and advancing health sciences initiatives that help shape the dentists, doctors, and pharmacists of the future.

My passion for championing equality, diversity and inclusion began during my time as a student volunteer with ReachOut, a mentoring charity supporting young people in disadvantaged communities, and Expressions with Art, a creative community for individuals experiencing mental health challenges. 

These experiences inspired my commitment to bridging the gap between young people and their potential, and to improving outcomes for underrepresented groups. I’m especially passionate about giving voice to communities that have often been overlooked, and creating opportunities for their stories to be heard, which is something that also shapes my research interests.

As a graduate scheme trainee, I contributed to a regular giving campaign supporting students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, led an institution-wide Role Model campaign celebrating diverse voices, and worked with students to refresh a central outreach curriculum to better reflect community needs.

While working in the Civil Service, I volunteered as Social & Engagement Lead for my department’s Ethnic Diversity Network, helping to launch initiatives (often involving food!) that celebrated cultural heritage and created safe, welcoming spaces for colleagues to share their lived experiences.

Now, as a member of the UCLMS Ethnicity and Race subgroup, I hope to continue advocating for inclusive initiatives that celebrate diversity and help shape environments where different communities feel seen, heard, and valued.