Prof Ranee ThakarClinician

Biography

Professor Ranee Thakar MD FRCOG served as President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) from December 2022 to 2025, having been elected in June 2022; she was the first woman of colour and only the third female President in the College's history. She is a Consultant Obstetrician and Urogynaecologist at Croydon University Hospital and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at St George's University of London, and holds an Honorary Professorship in Women's Health at the University of Liverpool. She led the national RCOG/RCM Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries (OASI) Care Bundle Project, which has significantly reduced OASI rates, and served as Senior Vice President for Global Health at the RCOG from 2019 to 2022. With over 200 peer-reviewed publications, she is internationally recognised for her expertise in urogynaecology and perineal trauma. In public debate she has pressed for women's health to be prioritised in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan, called for gynaecology waiting lists to be reduced, and argued for the continuation and expansion of women's health hubs.

References

1. 1.Professor Ranee Thakar | RCOG — Official RCOG staff page confirming her role as President, clinical position at Croydon University Hospital, OASI project leadership, global health work, and publication record.
2. 2.Ranee Thakar joins University of Liverpool as Honorary Professor of Women's Health — Confirms she is the first woman of colour and third female RCOG President, and her Honorary Professorship at the University of Liverpool.
3. 3.Dr Ranee Thakar | Baby Lifeline — Confirms RCOG presidency start date, BAPIO Outstanding Leadership Award 2023, IUGA Distinguished Service Award 2022, and honorary fellowships.
4. 4.10-Year Health Plan for England: RCOG response | RCOG — Evidences her press-quoted advocacy on the NHS 10-Year Health Plan, maternity care, and gynaecology waiting lists.
5. 5.

Expertise

Cited on

• Hospital discharge / bed-blocking

Stated areas of expertise

• Maternity safety
• Women's health policy
• Urogynaecology and pelvic floor
• Health inequalities in women's care
• Global women's health
• Gynaecology waiting lists

Notable achievements

• First woman of colour and only the third female President in the RCOG's history, elected June 2022, took office December 2022. Source ↗
• Led the national RCOG/RCM OASI Care Bundle Project, which has significantly reduced obstetric anal sphincter injury rates. Source ↗
• As Senior Vice President for Global Health, led the RCOG team in securing funding for the Essential Gynaecology Skills programme in Bangladesh and led the Making Abortion Safe programme across five sub-Saharan countries. Source ↗
• Awarded the President's Award for Outstanding Leadership by the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in 2023. Source ↗
• Past President of the International Urogynecological Association and awarded its Distinguished Service Award in 2022. Source ↗
• Appointed Honorary Professor of Women's Health at the University of Liverpool.

What they’ve said

• “For most women, tears are relatively minor and heal quickly. However, if a woman experiences a deeper tear, known as a third- or fourth-degree tear, this needs to be repaired in an operating theatre and their recovery will take longer.”

  President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Pregnant women in England at ‘growing risk’ of serious injury in childbirth ↗

• “For this change to have maximum positive impact we'd like to see a real focus on ensuring women from diverse ethnic communities and socially deprived areas being supported to access health checks, and excellent menopause training for healthcare assistants providing health checks.”

  President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · NHS health checks in England to have questions on menopause for first time ↗

• “Fibroids affect around two in three women during their lifetime, most commonly between the ages of 30 and 50. This report rightly highlights the disproportionate impact on black women.”

  President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Black women with fibroids face delays and poor care in the UK, says report ↗

Source references

1. Pregnant women in England at ‘growing risk’ of serious injury in childbirththeguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
2. NHS health checks in England to have questions on menopause for first timetheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
3. Black women with fibroids face delays and poor care in the UK, says reporttheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.rcog.org.uk/about-us/governance/officers/professor-ranee-thakar/
• LinkedInhttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/ranee-thakar-139437218
• Xhttps://x.com/raneethakar
• Websitehttps://raneethakar.co.uk/

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.