Hannah Barham-Brown

Doctor, Advocate, #RollModel

Hannah is a doctor, writer, campaigner and a ‘roll model’ with experience from ‘both sides of the stethoscope’. She writes about healthcare, disability, and equality and diversity – and all the ways they intersect. She has been published in The Guardian, The Times and the Independent.

Hannah was studying to become a doctor when she became disabled with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). The NHS wheelchair she was offered was too heavy to work with her condition so she had to crowdfund for the right mobility equipment. In 2017 Hannah presented a motion at the British Medical Association (BMA) conference for patients to have “timely access to chairs suitable for their individual conditions”. It passed unanimously. This year she has been working with the Eve Appeal for better access for hoist-dependent disabled people to access healthcare such as cervical smear tests.

Hannah is an advocate for better services and support for women. She is the youngest member of the Gender Pay Gap in Medicine Review’s Steering Group. She has also been a candidate for the Women’s Equality Party for two elections – to be a member of the European Parliament and a Council member. She says: “Disabled people have a lot to shout about; inequalities, the terrible impact of austerity, but also how amazing our community is! So get out there, and get your voice heard, because our community relies on those voices.”

Hannah is an ambassador for the disability charity myAFK and sits on numerous groups for the British Medical Association and the General Medical Council. She has given multiple TED talks and speaks at numerous conferences and events for national bodies such as NHS Employers and Health Education England. A prominent voice in the Brexit debate, Hannah spoke at a People’s Vote Rally in October 2018 to an audience of 700,000, about the effects of Brexit on the NHS.