New faces at the College

Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown has been elected by RCGP Council as the next Chair of the College, meaning that between November Council 2025-2028, she will be responsible for overseeing the strategic and policy direction for the RCGP.

Victoria trained as a GP in London and has spent over two decades working on the frontline in east London, caring for patients in one of the UK’s most diverse and deprived communities.

She first got involved with the College on the day of her membership ceremony, when she was invited to sit on a table with North West London Faculty board members. “They made me feel included, and after some conversation they suggested I join the board. I went to observe and that began my journey with the College,” she explains.

Having worked with the College at both faculty and national level, she says: “I have seen how it works at a number of different levels and seen firsthand the impact it can make on the lives of GPs and the care we provide for patients.”

She will start her three-year term by chairing the College’s Council meeting in November and is looking forward to hitting the ground running. She plans to prioritise working collaboratively with members.

“Through all my roles, I have realised that by working in teams, listening and utilising insights we come up with smarter solutions.

“Just the process of finding the best solutions can be creative and fun,” she says.

Whilst excited and optimistic for the future of her profession, Victoria is well aware of the challenges she faces. “It’s not just the number of changes, but the pace of change,” she says, “as a College, we will need to be proactive and agile to help shape the future of the profession.”

The past year has seen the Government announce its 10-Year Health Plan in England, with  aspirations to move more care into the community and shift the focus to prevention.

“I plan on working in general practice for another 15-20 years, I want to make sure that we are building something that will deliver the best possible care for patients and support GPs to do this,” she says.

One of Victoria’s key priorities is ensuring that GPs  are at the table as reforms are discussed and evaluated, to ensure the College ‘continues to have a strong influence on the role of the GP in the wider healthcare system.’

She is prescient of broader challenges on the horizon too, such as how to utilise AI and emerging technology in a safe and effective way – and how to ensure GPs have time and space to innovate, while delivering safe care. Victoria is confident that by working together with members, the College can find solutions and present a “strong and convincing voice that policy makers will listen to.”

Ultimately, Victoria wants to ensure GPs have sustainable and inspiring careers, that allow them to combine clinical work, leadership, education and research in a way that works best for them. “It’s about finding joy in what we do,” she says.

Victoria herself has embraced a portfolio career, balancing clinical work alongside research, education, commissioning and health policy. She is the Research and Innovation Lead for North East London Integrated Care Board and a Professor in Primary Care and Health Policy at Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, where she also supervises GP Academic Clinical Fellows.

Victoria has also taken the decision to stand for College Chair with a relatively young family at home: “It’s important to show that roles like these can be inclusive and that leadership can be something to aim for at all stages of your career,” she says.

Of Greek origin, she will also become the first International Medical Graduate (IMG) to be elected Chair of the RCGP.

“I’ve been in the UK for almost 30 years – it's my home and I’m proud to be part of a profession, and an NHS, that thrives on the richness of its diversity. Glass ceilings are there to be broken, and every step forward opens doors for others to follow.”