John Newton is Professor of Public Health and Epidemiology in the Department of Public Health and Sport Science.  He is currently one day per week in this role as he continues as Director of Public Health Analysis in the UK Government’s Department of Health and Social Care.

John is a public health physician who has been an academic epidemiologist in the University of Oxford, Director of Research and Development in two large teaching hospitals, a Regional Director of Public Health in the NHS and more recently was special adviser to the Secretary of State on testing for coronavirus.

John has led England’s contribution to reporting the internationally acclaimed Global Burden of Disease project, was founding Chairman of the WHO European Burden of Disease Network, and is a member of the International Scientific Council of the Global Burden of Disease study based in the University of Washington.

He was the first Director and CEO of the UK Biobank project based in the University of Manchester where he still holds an honorary professorship, and he continues to have an interest in precision public health.  Until its abolition in 2021, he was Director of Health Improvement at Public Health England (PHE), responsible for the information, intelligence and research functions of PHE and its national health improvement functions – including screening, alcohol, drugs, tobacco, health and justice, diet, obesity and physical activity, mental health and sexual health.

John has been a Garden Fellow at the Royal College of Physicians since 2012, was Vice President of the UK Faculty of Public Health from 2019 to 2022, and is currently Chair of the external Scientific Advisory Board of Sante publique France.

John has recently been awarded an OBE.