Georgina Margaret Radford (born 25 April 1955) is a British priest in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

and a former public health physician. Since June 2019, she has been team vicar in the Dart and Avon Mission Community in

South Brent South Brent is a large village on the southern edge of Dartmoor, England, in the valley of the River Avon. The parish includes the small hamlets of Aish, Harbourneford, Lutton, Brent Mill, and many scattered farmhouses. It is five miles (8&n ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, in the

Diocese of Exeter The Diocese of Exeter is a Church of England diocese covering the county of Devon. It is one of the largest dioceses in England. The Exeter Cathedral, Cathedral Church of St Peter in Exeter is the seat of the diocesan Bishop of Exeter. It is pa ...

. Having changed her career from the public physical and mental health provision, during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

in 2020, she was initially drawn back into her traditional field as a

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

, but found that her new calling was particularly suited in ministering to spiritual needs when also considering the sudden wider physical health symptoms which could result in long-term psychological changes, and has contributed to advising on the church's response to the pandemic.

Early life and education

Radford was born on 25 April 1955. She was educated at

Guildford County School Guildford County School (GCS) is a co-educational day school on Farnham Road ( A31), Guildford, England, 200 metres from Guildford town centre. It has around 1050 students enrolled, including the Sixth Form. It is run by its headmaster Steve Smi ...

, then an all-girls

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

. She studied medicine at the

Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine UCL Medical School is the medical school of University College London (UCL) and is located in London, United Kingdom. The School provides a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education programmes and also has a medical educati ...

, graduating with

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

(MB BS) degrees in 1979.

Career

Health professional

Prior to her ordained ministry, Radford was a

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

physician who was the

Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England In the United Kingdom, a Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is the most senior government advisor on matter relating to health. There are four CMOs in the United Kingdom who are appointed to advise their respective governments: * His Majesty's Governm ...

from 2015 to 2019."A Conversation with the Reverend Professor Gina Radford"

American Cathedral in Paris The American Cathedral in Paris (french: Cathédrale Américaine de Paris), formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is one of the oldest English-speaking churches in Paris. It is the gathering church for the Convocation of Epi ...

website, 13 May 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020. Radford led on the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

's response to the early-2000s Shipman Inquiry and represented the Chief Medical Officer on the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

's Western Pacific Regional Committee. After leaving the Department of Health in 2007, Radford was Director of Public Health in Fife, Director of Public Health for East of England and Centre Director for Anglia and Essex for Public Health England. Radford was a keynote speaker at a 2017 rare diseases conference organised by the

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, often referred to as the RCPCH, is the professional body for paediatricians (doctors specialising in child health) in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the postgraduate training of paed ...

. In November 2020, Radford was confirmed as a trustee of the UK National Organisation for Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Radford also broadcasts on television, acts as an expert opinion in health matters, and is a governor of Marjon University in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, Devon, England.

Ordained ministry

Radford trained for ordination with the

Eastern Region Ministry Course The Eastern Region Ministry Course (ERMC), based in Cambridge, is a part-residential theological training course which offers initial ministerial training on behalf of the Church of England. It used to offer this for the Methodist Church in Britain ...

on a part-time basis from 2014 to 2016. She was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

in the

as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in 2016 and as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in 2017. She was a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

at St James' Church, Lode, in the

Diocese of Ely The Diocese of Ely is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury. It is headed by the Bishop of Ely, who sits at Ely Cathedral in Ely. There is one suffragan (subordinate) bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. The diocese now co ...

from May 2016 to 2019. She was installed as

team vicar Vicar is a title given to certain parish priests in the Church of England and other Anglican churches. It has played a significant role in Anglican church organisation in ways that are different from other Christian denominations. The title is ver ...

of St Petroc's Church,

in June 2019."St Petrocs and St Marys"
stpetrocsandstmarys.org.uk Retrieved 20 November 2020."Swapping Medicine for Religion: Former Deputy CMO Turned Vicar"

Medscape Medscape is a website providing access to medical information for clinicians; the organization also provides continuing education for physicians and health professionals. It references medical journal articles, Continuing Medical Education (CM ...

, 19 January 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021 .

References

External links

Radford speaking on a 2015 new smoking in cars law
on '' Good Morning Britain''
Radford as a keynote speaker at a 2017 Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health conferenceRadford speaking on COVID-19 vaccines in 2020
on ''

Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...

''
Radford filmography
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radford, Gina Living people British women medical doctors 1955 births Alumni of the UCL Medical School British civil servants British public health doctors People educated at Guildford County School Women public health doctors