Dr Syed Nayyer Abidi is a senior health professional, working as the founder director of a registered Community-Interest Company called CHIEF - Community Health Involvement & Empowerment Forum. He is also known as a social entrepreneur, a healthcare writer, a bilingual author, and a well-known public health campaigner in the United Kingdom. He also leads M.E.H.A Group of Health Promoters that has recently been highly recommended for Queen`s Award for Voluntary Service - 2008.

A national health awareness project, the M.E.H.A project UK, was launched in February 2002 in Manchester. This unique project is supervised by a group of native health professionals, working in the NHS. He was selected to work as National Co-ordinator. Its aim is to provide latest healthcare information in the individual's native language and raise health awareness mainly in the minority ethnic communities of the UK. He became the author of the UK's first-ever Urdu healthcare book, 'Solution to Common Health Issues', in 2000. The Department of Health later approved this book for wider circulation in the UK. So far, four editions of the book have been published and distributed in the United Kingdom. In April 2002, his UK's first-ever bilingual (English/Urdu) healthcare book was published in the UK. 'Prevention is Always Better than Cure' is being supplied to public libraries, hospital libraries, community centres, and G.P surgeries for the benefit of wider community. He regularly writes health awareness articles for local Urdu and English community newspapers. He also organises monthly health education seminars, radio talks, and health awareness meetings for the benefit of wider community.

Nominated by Humera Shah, 18 February 2008

Key Achievements:

1-Successful launch of CHIEF`s interactive and informative website: www.chiefcic.com in June 2007, received more than 20,000 hits each month;

2-CHIEF received funding from Big Lottery for its health awareness project: `Building Healthier Communities` in July 2007;

3-Successful distribution of weekly E-newsletter to more than 10,000 online subscribers since August 2007;

4- Successful launch of `Promoting effective use of Internet in BME communities` project: http://www.chiefcic.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=vi...

5- Associated Group, Minority Ethnic Health Awareness Group ( M.E.H.A group ) has been short-listed for Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2008 in November 2007;

6. Six leading U.K health and social care experts joined CHIEF`s National Advisory Council NAC );

7- CHIEF becomes the Affiliated Member of following national organisations: Social Enterprise Coalition, Attend, NHS Networks ( Heath & Social Care ), National Council of Voluntary Organisations ( NCVO ), and National NGO Forum.

Nominated by Dr Syed Abidi, 17 April 2008

On the basis of his following admirable voluntary contributions towards wider community, I strongly believe he is the most suitable person for such award:

A national health awareness project, the M.E.H.A project UK, was launched in February 2002 in Manchester. This unique project is supervised by a group of native health professionals, working in the NHS. He was selected to work as National Co-ordinator. Its aim is to provide latest healthcare information in the individual's native language and raise health awareness mainly in the minority ethnic communities of the UK. He became the author of the UK's first-ever Urdu healthcare book, 'Solution to Common Health Issues', in 2000. The Department of Health later approved this book for wider circulation in the UK. So far, four editions of the book have been published and distributed in the United Kingdom. In April 2002, his UK's first-ever bilingual (English/Urdu) healthcare book was published in the UK. 'Prevention is Always Better than Cure' is being supplied to public libraries, hospital libraries, community centres, and G.P surgeries for the benefit of wider community. He regularly writes health awareness articles for local Urdu and English community newspapers. He also organises monthly health education seminars, radio talks, and health awareness meetings for the benefit of wider community.

In June 2003, he initiated a unique national project 'Building Healthier Communities'. So far has had successfully organised 25 health awareness -raising seminars. In December 2003, he was appointed as member of the North Manchester PCT Patient and Public Involvement Forum by the Patient and Public Involvement in Health Commission. In September 2004, he was appointed as the Forum Media Spokesperson to raise awareness about the Forum's vital role and its activities in the media. From January 2003 till November 2006, Dr Abidi served as the founder Chief Executive & Media Spokesperson of BEHAF trust. He is currently affiliated to ‘Make it Happen' Consultancy` as Associate Consultant in Equality, Diversity & Health Promotion.

Fellowship/Membership:

1- The Royal Society of Arts, London

2- Association of Pakistani Physicians & Surgeons in the U.K;

3- Manchester Medical Society; Manchester

4- Pakistan Medical Association; Blackpool

5- The Pride of Pakistan Forum, Glasgow

6- Cheetham & Crumpsall Welcome Centre, Manchester.

Thank you for your kind consideration.

Best Regards,

Mrs Humera Jaffri

Nominated by Humera Jaffri, 08 May 2008

People from ethnic backgrounds are usually very least interested in participating in online activities. They already suffer due to language barriers, lack of understanding, social isolation, racial discrimination, cultural stigmas, and religious taboos, and become more vulnerable to common health disorders like Diabetes, Hypertension, Depression, Stroke, Coronary Heart Disease, Hepatitis and so on. Over the years, we have actively been involved to get them online and encourage them to use latest Information over the internet. Our informative website, huge mailing list and a large network of BME organisations is co-ordinated by a team of native health professionals. More than 10,000 subscribers receive weekly E-newsletter and may ask any health question and get answer within 24 hours via interactive website or e-mail attachments. CHIEF is linked via internet with G.Ps, Specialist Nurses, Public Health Consultants & Hospital Physicians. If necessary, they are asked for their educational support or expert opinion. The service users are provided with hyperlinks of other useful websites and PDF files in other languages too if English is not their first language. All projects are monitored and evaluated by independent assessors, and learning experience is shared widely via internet.

CHIEF directors and staff had been working with a charitable trust, BEHAF, for more than 3 years. During this period, they worked very hard to research and evaluate several pilot projects with great success. The feedback from beneficiaries was very positive and promotes the need for these projects to develop and grow. In October 2006, pioneer members ( Nicola Dickins, Dr Naseer Naqvi, Dr Syed Abidi, Mrs Sameera Mehdi, Mr Ihsan Niazi & Humera Sikander ) agreed to form a company, limited by guarantee, with community-interest company (CIC) status. This working model provides board of directors with prompt decision-making powers, time flexibility, and a trading arm to become a profitable business, and re-invest its profit back into the community. CHIEF continues to work with existing projects and develops new projects as per community needs. CHIEF is different because: we do not have any cultural boundaries as we work with all BME communities. We address particularly the Health & Social issues and the impact of those issues on the BME community. We work with the community to raise awareness of health issues and mediate with health services providers to improve their health service delivery.

18 August 2009

Well Done!!

Submitted by Sameera Mehdi, 08 May 2008

Very well deserved nomination, I fully support it as Dr Abidi`s colleague - Keep it Up!

Submitted by Ihsan Ullah Niazi, 13 May 2008

Having read the nomination above and that of the other nominees, based on Dr Abidi's many voluntary contributions, I feel he is deserving of this reward.

Submitted by Zahieer, 18 June 2008

Given the quality and the quantity of work he has rendered consistently for developing health and educational awareness among minority communities in the UK, I strongly recommend him for the award.

Submitted by Ali Ahmad, 02 March 2009