Dorcas Gwata

Dorcas Gwata is an award-winning frontline Mental Health Nurse, Global Health Consultant, qualified Executive Ubuntu Coach and a published non-fiction writer. She is renowned for her work across health, social justice, and leadership development.

In 2022, she was honoured as The Sun’s Best Nurse, and in 2024 she was named one of the 100 Most Influential BAME Leaders by the Health Service Journal. Dorcas has worked extensively under the Mayor of London’s Office, pioneering a ‘street clinic’ approach to support young people and families affected by gang culture, youth violence, and exploitation, applying trauma-informed care models to communities impacted by knife crime in London.

In her current role as a Diaspora Global Health Consultant, Dorcas works with the Global Health Partnership to design and implement health collaborations between the UK and Zimbabwe. She has been instrumental in promoting bi-directional learning, strengthening diplomatic ties, and recognising the significant contributions of Zimbabwean healthcare professionals within the UK’s health system.

Dorcas is both a Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole Alumni, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, she played a leading role in tackling institutional racism and healthcare inequalities, advocating for policies that support global majority nurses and midwives in the NHS and in international health contexts.

She also serves as a Non-Executive Director at WWF-UK, a leading environmental organisation, as a Safeguarding Lead Trustee, focusing on protecting the rights and needs of communities most affected by climate change.

As an Executive Ubuntu Coach, Dorcas brings a transformational, humanistic approach to leadership development, grounded in the African philosophy of Ubuntu – “I am because we are.” She partners with both individuals and groups, guiding them to align with their inner values and collective purpose, thereby enhancing leadership effectiveness and authenticity.

Her book, The Street Clinic, Amazon.com: The Street Clinic: 10 Young Lives on the Frontline of Gang Culture: 9781035006915: Gwata, Dorcas: Books published by Picador Macmillan in February 2026, tells the story of young people and families affected by gang culture in London. Her work with young people and families affected by gang culture in London grew out of innovative evidence-based research in low-income countries, extrapolated to high-income countries, improving mental health outcomes in vulnerable groups while addressing health inequalities in the UK

An advocate of holistic wellbeing, Dorcas enjoys yoga, the arts, and spending time in nature.