About Dr Houda
Dr Houda Ounnas is an experienced psychotherapy trained GP working in Harley Street, London where she runs a 360 preventative clinic integrating physical and mental health. She has 9 years’ experience as a GP and 15 as a doctor. She is an international speaker and a published author in reputable medical journals and several UK and international media outlets. Furthermore, she has acted as clinical lead of projects for Westminster CCG and the United Nations. She is a GP trainer for Health Education England. Dr Houda holds 3 Royal colleges certifications and extra training from prestigious institutions in the UK, Australia and the USA in functional medicine, Aesthetic medicine, Psychotherapy and Occupational Medicine.
Dr Houda’s main areas of work are prevention, mental health and women’s health. She is a firm believer in 360 health and in the intertwined human bodily and emotional experiences. Her aim is to optimise your health to enable you to live life fully because an optimum health leads to an optimum life.
Dr Houda, originally from Algeria, was a child prodigy who won an international scholarship to study medicine in the UK. She qualified as a quartile one student from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 2007. After that, she won a place at the prestigious academic foundation program at the Wessex deanery, where she published research at the British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial surgery and competed for the UK for a prize at the European Academy of Otology and Neuro-Otology EAONO.
She completed GP training in 2013 and since then worked as a GP in the NHS and private sector, in and out of hours. She also worked in Australia and the Channel islands in general practice and Occupational health capacities.Dr Houda is a vivacious individual passionate about life, hence has studied several subjects to do with enhancing quality of life. The aim is to amalgamate her skills in a way that detangles even the most complex problems, to optimise her patients’ physical and mental health in harmony. She herself is a keen horse rider, tennis player and a reflective learner passionate about creativity, arts and how humans express themselves through such connections. Her favourite charity is the British Horse Society. She would encourage anyone to check out their project “Changing lives through horses”. The programme utilises a range of awards and achievements promoting the holistic development of all involved and nurturing six life skills for all young people: building relationships, communication, confidence, responsibility, teamwork, and perseverance.
- Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery MBBS, University of Newcastle upon Tyne 2007
- MRCGP (Fully qualified GP) Royal College of General practitioners, London England 2013
- Aesthetics and laser skin therapy-Harvard Medical School 2015, USA
- Advanced Botulinum Toxin and Fillers-London School of Facial Aesthetics 2016
- Diploma in Occupational Medicine (Health at work) Royal College of Physicians, London, UK 2017
- Fellowship to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, 2017
- GP registrar Trainer -Health Education England 2018
- Schema Therapy (Psychotherapy modality) International Society of Schema Therapy, London 2019
- Functional Medicine, AFMCP -Institute of Functional Medicine 2021
- 14 years experience as a doctor, of which 9 years as a GP, in addition to several hospital rotations notably Paediatrics, Mental health and A/E
- NHS & Private GP experience in and out of hours, including the home visiting GP on call service
- I have provided private GP services in the past for Nuffield Health, HCA, Telegraph, Discovery Channel and several other financial and legal institutions in London, UK and to Healius and National Home Doctor in Sydney Australia. These roles have enabled me to gain further insight and hence focus and tailor my care to high achieving professionals in the legal, finance, business and media sectors.
- Since setting up independently in 2019, many of my new private patients come from other walks of life including fashion, design and entrepreneurship. Some of them from around the globe and I have had patients visit my clinic from Switzerland, the UAE, Qatar and Nigeria. This is of course in addition to the local British and expat residents of London and surroundings.
Clinical leadership:
I had the privilege of working as a clinical lead for Westminster CCG for two projects one in Ophthalmology and one in helping patients choosing the right service for their needs
United Nations:
I had the privilege of being a stakeholder and working with the UN on their WSIS initiative, sharing my expertise in mental health. See story highlights for details.
Teaching:
I’m a GP trainer by Health Education England, training future General Practitioners. I have also in the past taught medical student as a clinical skills tutor for the University of Southampton, UK
Research:
I had my academic research published at the British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery on head and neck surgery and anatomy.
Media:
I’m a regular commentator in British & international media platforms including: The Times, Telegraph, Metro, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Red, Marie Claire, Stylist, Al Ghad TV, TRT, Al Horra TV, Get the Gloss.
International Speaking:
Not a comprehensive list but some highlights are:
- International Telecom Union, United Nations Head Quarters in Geneva June 2020: Leveraging technology to achieve Mental Health Sustainability for young people to achieve their potential.
- Right Choice First Time, Helping the people of Westminster make the right health choices across 3 central London boroughs: Presented in Westminster October 2013, in front of politicians from Westminster, doctor colleagues, public health professionals, NHS managers, clinical and business directors, and patient representatives.
- Mental Wellbeing for doctors, presented at MEIDAM, the Middle East’s biggest Dermatology and Aesthetic Medicine Conference and exhibition, Dubai, UAE 2020
- Progressive Primary Care, A guide to delivering it with Excellence, Tokyo, Japan 2019.
- I represented the UK at the EAONO, European Academy of Otology and Neuro-Otology, for a European level prize, Majorca, Spain 2008. The study was one of the 6 finalists at a European level.
- I also competed with another study for a National prize at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, London, UK 03/12/2008
At a personal level, I view life as a beautiful balance of adventures and tranquillity. At times of tranquillity, I’m an absorbent admirer of arts and beauty.
I enjoy nature, reading, chess and creative writing. When active, and activity is a big part of my life, I enjoy a fit and healthy lifestyle. I enjoy playing Tennis and I am a member of the British Lawn Tennis Association, LTA. I also like cultural and sports events.
I’m enthusiastic about travelling and learning about different cultures. I have probably visited your country and know something about your culture, and if not I would be curious to learn! Having lived and worked in London, I have treated expat patients from all ethnicities and have gained cultural insight and sensitivity. I am fluent in English, French and Arabic.
My biggest passion though has to be horses, whether it’s riding them or attending equestrian events. I support the British Horse Society and would encourage anyone to check out their amazing projects. My personal favourite is “Changing Lives through Horses” which aims to help thousands of young people with mental health challenges, develop six key life skills through equestrian activity: Communication, Confidence, Relationships, Teamwork, Responsibility, Personal Achievement.
Achievements and Memberships-Past and Present
Timeline of Achievements
2009
2013
2017
2016
English (UK) 
العربية