Dora Opoku OBE

Education winner

Past Staff

Dora Opoku was one of the pioneering women in City’s history and a key figure in developing midwifery care in London. During her early career, Dora was head of midwifery education at the Royal London Hospital in 1984. She was especially interested in women with complex needs and thrived in her role there, improving care for some of London’s most vulnerable patients. Dora became Head of Midwifery at City in 1995, a post that she held until her retirement in 2010. She chaired the East London and The City Research Ethics Committee and in 2004 was appointed OBE in recognition of her services to midwifery education. Despite passing away in 2010, Dora’s legacy lives on and in 2018 the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust launched two new awards for BAME midwives and students in her name, assisting a group of people who are not always fully supported within the UK health care system. She is recognised as one of City's Extraordinary Women who have been ready to try, to challenge and to lead; making life better for others and pushing the boundaries of what can be accomplished.