A BIG- hearted doctor from Solihull has been named a 'Woman of the Year' after dedicating her life to fighting for better conditions for refugees.
Dr Christina Pour-gourides, who moved to Hampton Lane in February, was named as one of the world's 65 most caring physicians in a book published by the World Medical Association last year.
That recognition put the 40-year-old forward for the Women of the Year lunch at the Millenium Hotel in Grosvenor Square, London on Monday this week.
Since being horrified by the plight of a young asylum seeker locked up in a maximum security prison without ever committing a crime, Christina, herself a Greek-Cypriot refugee, has worked tirelessly to improve the life of displaced people around the globe.
As well as carrying out her medical duties her kind-hearted efforts have included giving lectures to conferences worldwide, presenting bodies of work to the Houses of Parliament, working with the Chief Inspector of Prisons in the UK and doing psychiatric assessments for the charity Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture.
Christina, who lives with her husband, Swaran Singh, and two-year-old daughter, Emilia, currently works as a consultant psychiatrist for Solihull Care Trust.
Talking about Monday's event, modest Christina said: "It was great, it was a brilliant occasion, there were 500 women there all dressed up including famous faces like Maureen Lipman, Fiona Bruce and Karren Brady."
The Women of the Year Lunch and Assembly is a charity which was created in 1955 to celebrate the achievements of women.
Previous winners include terminal cancer sufferer and athlete Jane Tomlinson MBE.
