Professor Bola Owolabi (MRCGP, MFPH Hon, FRSPH) is Director of the National
Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England (NHSE). She also works
as a GP in the Midlands.
Bola has particular interest in reducing healthcare inequalities through integrated care
models, service transformation, and using data insights for quality improvement. She has
spearheaded NHSE’s Core20PLUS5 approach to narrowing healthcare inequalities. This
approach focuses support on the most deprived ‘Core 20’ percent of the population, ‘plus’
other underserved groups identified through local population health data (such as
communities with minority ethnicity), and targets ‘5’ key clinical areas for priority
improvement. Versions of the Core20PLUS5 approach are in place for both adults and
children & young people.
Internationally, Bola was a member of the Danish Ambassador’s Tour De Health – a ten
nation healthcare policy leaders’ summit. Additionally, she was the UK representative on the
Commonwealth Fund / Academy Health Tour 2023, exploring equity in national health policy
across the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.
She was previously National Speciality Advisor for Older People and Integrated PersonCentred Care at NHSE, where she led the Anticipatory Care workstream of the National
Ageing Well Programme. She collaborated with teams across NHSE and the Department of
Health and Social Care as part of the Covid-19 pandemic response.
Bola is an alumna of Ashridge Executive Education / Hult International Business School and
holds a Masters degree with distinction in Leadership (Quality Improvement). She also
received an NHS Leadership Academy Award in Executive Healthcare Leadership for
Clinicians.
Bola is an Honorary Professor at the Institute of Applied Health Research, College of
Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham. She is also a Vice President of the Royal
Society of Public Health (RSPH).