John Norman Newton (born 7 January 1959) is a British epidemiologist and public health expert. He is the Director of Health Improvement at Public Health England, and from 2020 coordinates the UK Government's COVID-19 testing programme.

Education

He was educated at Shrewsbury School, Trinity College, Oxford (MA),

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

(

MBBS 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 ...

) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (MSc).

Career

Newton was an academic epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, and the founding Chief Executive of the charity UK Biobank. He also served as Director of Research at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital and at University Hospital Southampton. He was appointed Honorary Professor of Public Health and Epidemiology in the Centre for Epidemiology at the University of Manchester in 2004, and Professor of Public Health and Epidemiology at the University of Exeter in May 2021. In 2005 he led work for the UK Department of Health on a national public health information and intelligence strategy. He was appointed as Regional Director of Public Health for

NHS South Central Strategic health authorities (SHA) were part of the structure of the National Health Service (England), National Health Service in England between 2002 and 2013. Each SHA was responsible for managing performance, enacting directives and implementin ...

in 2007. He has acted as an expert witness in epidemiology in relation to litigation since 1994, including on MMR and Autism, Norplant and

Seroxat Paroxetine, sold under the brand names Paxil and Seroxat among others, is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. It is used to treat major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder ...

. Newton was appointed as Director of Health Improvement for Public Health England on 12 October 2012. From May to July 2020, he was national coordinator of the UK Government's

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the com ...

testing programme. On 1 October 2021, following the abolition of Public Health England he became Director of Public Health Analysis in the newly formed

Office for Health Improvement and Disparities The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) is a government unit within the British Department of Health and Social Care that leads national efforts to improve public health policy across England. The body is a successor organisat ...

. Newton was appointed

Officer 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 ...

in the

2023 Birthday Honours The 2023 King's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of King Charles III to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part o ...

for services to public health.

Other roles

From 2015 to 2019, Professor Newton chaired the World Health Organization's European Burden of Disease Network and led England's contribution to the Global Burden of Disease project, a study into the impacts of diseases on the world. He was Vice President of the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) until 2022 and has been a director of Health Data Insight CIC. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London (FRCP) and a fellow of the

Royal Society for Public Health Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) is an independent, multi-disciplinary charity dedicated to the improvement of the public's health. RSPH helps inform policy and practice, working to educate, empower and support communities and individuals ...

(FRSPH). In June 2021, he was appointed President of the Scientific Board o
Sante publique France

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, John 1959 births Living people People educated at Shrewsbury School Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Alumni of King's College London Alumni of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Officers of the Order of the British Empire