The Royal Society for Public Health Announces New President and Vice Presidents (2024)

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Lord Hunt of Kings Heath will become President with immediate effect, replacing Lord Soulsby who is retiring from the role after many years of dedicated service to the RSPH. In addition, Baroness Cumberlege and Baroness Massey have both accepted appointments as Vice Presidents of RSPH. Together they bring a wealth of Ministerial, public health and health education experience to the world’s oldest public health body.

RSPH Chair, Dr Selwyn Hodge, said; “We feel very privileged that three such eminent public figures will now be associated with the RSPH. They enjoy widespread respect across the private, public and voluntary sectors, and I look forward to working with them over the coming months and years.”

Commenting on the appointments, Professor Richard Parish, Chief Executive of RSPH, said; “I am absolutely delighted that Lord Hunt has accepted our invitation to serve as President. Together with Baroness Cumberlege and Baroness Massey, the Royal Society will be able to make an even greater impact as we face the growing challenges to health of the 21st Century. We welcome them warmly to their new roles and we would like to thank our departing President Lord Soulsby for his hard work and dedication to RSPH.”

In response, Lord Hunt commented; “I am very much looking forward to working with the RSPH as President. It is a role I am very pleased to accept and I am delighted to be associated with the Society, which is at the forefront of public health action.”

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Notes to editors

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) is an independent, multi-disciplinary organisation, dedicated to the promotion and protection of collective human health and well-being. Through advocacy, mediation, empowerment, knowledge and practice we advise on policy development, provide education and training services, encourage scientific research, disseminate information and certify products, training centres and processes.

Around 100,000 students take our qualifications each year in food hygiene, salon hygiene, pest control, health & safety, nutrition, the built environment, health, meat inspection and emergency planning. We provide qualifications which are directly relevant to the workplace and we help people to progress through their chosen career by offering qualifications at different levels. RSPH is also an awarding body recognised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). We have a network of over 1500 training centres throughout the UK. We provide a wide range of course material including syllabuses and sample exam papers.

The RSPH is an independent charity formed in October 2008 with the merger of the Royal Society of Health (RSH) and the Royal Institute of Public Health (RIPH). The RSPH has a Royal Charter and Her Majesty The Queen is the Society’s Patron.

www.rsph.org.uk

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath was Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change until the recent change of government. He was also Deputy Leader of the House of Lords.

He also served as a Minister in the Department of Health, Department of Work and Pensions, Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Ministry of Justice.

He is currently Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords.

He is a previous chief executive of the NHS Confederation and a co-Chair of the Association for Public Health.
Baroness Cumberlege was appointed a Health Minister in 1992 and worked in this role until 1997, when she acted as Opposition Spokesperson for Health. A former health authority Chair, Baroness Cumberlege is Chair of the Association of Medical Research Charities. The author of several national reports on health matters, she championed the introduction of nurse prescribing.

Baroness Massey of Darwen was the Director of the Family Planning Association from 1989 to 1994 and was made a Life Peer in 1999. Prior to that, she held senior positions at the Health Education Authority. She is currently Chair of the National Treatment Agency and a member of the Board of UNICEF.

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