A healthcare professional whose lifelong dedication to public health has transformed lives across generations and continents has been awarded an honorary degree by De Montfort University, Leicester (DMU).
Bhanu Mehta was made an Honorary Doctorate of Science during DMU’s winter graduation ceremony at The Curve, Leicester, on Tuesday 20 January 2026.
The honour recognises a remarkable career spanning more than four decades in dentistry and global health, alongside a lifelong commitment to education, charity and community service.
Speaking after receiving her award, following a citation delivered by Wendy Stevens, Senior Lecturer of Audiology at DMU, Bhanu said the recognition had come as a complete surprise.
She said: “I was truly amazed to receive this honour. It feels incredibly special to know that my work has been appreciated, and I am completely overwhelmed.
“If my husband were still alive, he would have been absolutely thrilled – he would have been dancing through the ceremony!
“It has been a wonderful day meeting the next generation of healthcare professionals, and one I will never forget.”
Born in Wankaner, Gujarat, Bhanu’s journey into healthcare began at a young age, driven by a determination to create a better future through education.
She said: “As a little girl living in a small village in India, I used to tell my grandparents that one day I would go to London – I didn’t even really know where London was!”
After training as a dentist in Mumbai, Bhanu moved to the UK in 1968 with her husband, Ramnik, an anaesthetist.
Reflecting on her early days in the UK, she laughed: “When I came into Heathrow Airport for the first time, I had no money – not even £3.50. I was worried what would happen if my husband didn’t come to pick me up!”
Bhanu went on to establish a highly successful dental practice in the UK, which she ran for 40 years, treating generations of families and becoming a prominent figure in her local community.
She said: “I started from nothing. I built my dental practice completely from scratch.
“I loved every part of my work, especially when I could go out into the community and support others who needed care.”
Alongside her professional career, Bhanu and her now late husband devoted their lives to charitable work, founding a trust focused on education and healthcare in Western India.
Their work has supported underserved communities for decades, creating welcoming spaces for healthcare professionals from around the world to deliver vital care.
Bhanu said: “Everything I have ever done has come from the heart and I have never forgot my home.
“Nobody forces you to do healthcare or charity work – but if you choose to do it, you should do it properly. That has always been my motto, and I will continue for as long as I am alive.”
Since 2016, Bhanu has played a key role in developing a partnership between DMU and healthcare services in Gujarat. Through this collaboration, DMU students have delivered audiology clinics, providing free hearing assessments and hearing aids to more than 1,300 patients.
She said: “I have watched volunteers, clinicians and DMU students transform lives with a single fitting, a single assessment, a single moment of patient dignity.
“These moments reminded us that compassion is a universal language, and that expertise, when shared generously, can change the course of a community.”
Concluding with advice for students from DMU’s Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Bhanu encouraged them to follow purpose as well as profession.
She said: “When you think about what you want to do in life, look at what people need and do it from the heart. Whatever path you choose in health, people will always need you.”
Posted on Wednesday 21 January 2026