SOUTH Woodford academic Dr Sheila Cheeroth has been awarded an OBE for helping qualified refugee doctors practise in the UK.

The doctor, who works at Barts and the London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, has received the honour for setting up the Refugee and Overseas Qualified Doctors Programme.

Dr Cheeroth said she was delighted to receive the honour: "It is marvellous to have the work of the programme recognised in this way. This honour acknowledges the importance of offering opportunities to all members of our society to develop their full potential, allowing them to benefit, integrate and contribute."

Dr Cheeroth created her programme in 1997 to provide training for doctors who had permanent residence status, but still needed to pass the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board test to be able to practise medicine.

She said: "I would like to acknowledge the critical support I have had from the medical school particularly the centre for health sciences and from the North East London Strategic Health Authority, the Mercers Company and the excellent lecturers and staff I have had the good fortune to work with.

"These are the people who have made the programme such a success."

Between 2002 and 2006, the programme aided 54 doctors to pass their exams, allowing them to fill NHS medical posts.