Biography
Before going to medical school, Rachel was a broadcast journalist who produced and directed current affairs documentaries, primarily for Channel 4, on subjects such as Al Qaeda, the Iraq War and the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She began her medical degree in her late 20s, qualifying as a doctor in 2009.
Now a practising palliative care doctor, Rachel is also the author of three Sunday Times bestselling non-fiction books, BREATHTAKING, DEAR LIFE and YOUR LIFE IN MY HANDS. Her fourth book, THE STORY OF A HEART, was published in Sept and has been long-listed for the 2024 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.
Why palliative care?
Rachel chose to specialise in palliative medicine because patients with terminal illnesses can be particularly vulnerable, being overlooked or marginalised in hectic healthcare settings. She cares deeply about helping patients live the end of their lives as fully and richly as possible - and in using her platform as a doctor-writer to advocate for putting what matters to patients at the heart of their care.
She works in large, urban NHS hospital.
In 2023, inspired by a trip to Ukraine to support local palliative care teams during the conflict, Rachel co-founded the UK registered charity Hospice Ukraine to support the development of palliative care in Ukraine. To date the charity has raised over £75,000.
Rachel writes for the Guardian, Sunday Times, New Statesman and Lancet, among others. She is a sought after public speaker and her television and radio appearances include BBC Question Time, BBC Newsnight, Channel 4 News, BBC Woman’s Hour and Sky News.
She lives in Oxford with her husband, two children and their labrador Harley.