Alka Ahuja is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and the Lead Consultant for the Tertiary Neurodevelopmental service at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. She is the Finance Officer, Child and Adolescent Faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Public Education lead, Royal College of Psychiatrists in Wales. Also a Visiting Professor at the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care, University of South Wales.

Alka has expertise in qualitative research methodology and her areas of special interest include neurodevelopmental disorders including autism and ADHD, user and carer involvement in healthcare services and employment of digital technology in healthcare. She has developed with colleagues an AgorIP-funded electronic free iOS and Android app for people worried that their loved ones may have an eating disorder, ‘Diet or Disorder’ and also developed the About Me Autism Passport App. She is also currently developing a virtual reality tool for young people with autism.

Alka is project lead for the Health Foundation-funded CWTCH (Connecting With Telehealth to Children in Hospitals) project, and involved in the EMS Ltd-funded Celebrate Every Body project which is a joint enterprise between health and education to evaluate and incorporate resilience and body esteem in primary and secondary schools. Twitter: @AlkaSashin @cwtchgwent @celebrateeverybody