A picture of health: Newcastle University

Join NCL in Action 2026/27 for a forward-looking exploration of global health’s new chapter. We’ll examine and address today’s most pressing issues, from the mental health crisis and widening inequalities to staffing shortages and emerging AI dilemmas. The future of health is in our hands; let’s make it a clean bill.

Professor Chris Whitty is Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England, the UK Government’s Chief Medical Adviser and head of the public health profession. A practising NHS consultant physician and epidemiologist, he works at University College London Hospitals and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, and is also a visiting professor at Gresham College. He has conducted research and worked as a doctor across the UK, Africa and Asia. Before becoming CMO, he was Professor of Public and International Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He has also served as interim Permanent Secretary at DHSC and interim Government Chief Scientific Adviser.