Iona Caroline Heath is an English medical doctor and writer who was president of the

Royal College of General Practitioners The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is the professional body for general (medical) practitioners (GPs/Family Physicians/Primary Care Physicians) in the United Kingdom. The RCGP represents and supports GPs on key issues including l ...

(RCGP) from 2009 to 2012. Iona Heath

Iona retired from medical practice aged 60 years in 2010, She was the only person ever to have applied for and anticipated taking up the post of President of RCGP 2009–2012 when she was no longer a practicing doctor for the majority of the term of office, i.e. during 2010–2012.

Career

Heath graduated from

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

in 1974. She worked as a GP in Kentish Town in London from 1975 to 2010. She was first elected a member of RCGP's council in 1989. In June 2009 she was elected President of the RCGP. She was on the

WONCA The World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) is a global not-for-profit professional organization representing family physicians and general practitioners from all regions of the world. WONCA's mission is to improve the quality of life of the ...

World council of general practice. She developed a second career by becoming a speaker at national and international events and acting as an adviser to practising doctors. In 2014 she chaired a panel looking into the side-effects of

statins Statins, also known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, are a class of lipid-lowering medications that reduce illness and mortality in those who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease. They are the most common cholesterol-lowering drugs. Low- ...

, prompted by a calls for

the BMJ ''The BMJ'' is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Origi ...

to retract a published article on the topic. The conclusion not to retract in full was disputed the Lancet queried the independence of the panel. In 2022 she was still contributing to

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823. The journal publishes original research articles, ...

, defending the importance of empathy.

Honours

She was made

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) in the

2000 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2000 for the United Kingdom and New Zealand were announced on 31 December 1999, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2000. The ''Honours list'' is a list of people who have been awarded one of the various or ...

for services to the Care of Elderly People.

Publications

* Matters of Life and Death: Key Writings, Routledge, 2007 * The mystery of general practice, Nuffield Trust, 1995

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, Iona Living people 20th-century English medical doctors 21st-century English medical doctors British general practitioners English women medical doctors Fellows of the Royal College of General Practitioners Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of the University of Cambridge Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century English women medical doctors 21st-century British women medical doctors Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century English women 20th-century English people 21st-century English women