Sir Michael Gideon Marmot (born 26 February 1945) is Professor of

Epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

and

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 ...

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. He is currently the Director of The UCL Institute of Health Equity. Marmot has led research groups on health inequalities for over thirty years, working for various international and governmental bodies.

Early life and education

Marmot was born in London on 26 January 1945. When he was a young child, his family moved to Sydney in Australia,Michael Marmot interviewed by Kirsty Young
on BBC

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usu ...

6 July 2014 where he attended

Sydney Boys High School Sydney Boys High School (”SBHS”), otherwise known as The Sydney High School (“SHS”) or High, is a Education in Australia#Government schools, government-funded Single-sex school, single-sex Selective school (New South Wales), academically s ...

(1957–1961) and graduated with an

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 ...

medical degree from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

in 1969. He earned an MPH degree in 1972 and a PhD in 1975 from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

for research into

acculturation Acculturation is a process of social, psychological, and cultural change that stems from the balancing of two cultures while adapting to the prevailing culture of the society. Acculturation is a process in which an individual adopts, acquires and ...

and

coronary heart disease Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial ischemia, or simply heart disease, involves the reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle due to build-up of atherosclerotic pla ...

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...

Career

He was a member of the

Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in the United Kingdom was created under Royal Warrant in 1970 to advise the Queen, Government, Parliament and the public on environmental issues. It was closed on 1 April 2011, as part of the Coali ...

for six years and in the

New Year Honours 2000 The New Year Honours 2000 for the United Kingdom and 2000 New Year Honours#New Zealand, 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 ...

he was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

, for services to epidemiology and the understanding of health inequalities. Marmot advised the WHO. He was chair of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH), which was set up by 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 ...

2005, and in August 2008 he produced for the commission a report called ''Closing the Gap in a Generation''. Marmot gave the

Harveian Oration The Harveian Oration is a yearly lecture held at the Royal College of Physicians of London. It was instituted in 1656 by William Harvey, discoverer of the systemic circulation. Harvey made financial provision for the college to hold an annual feas ...

in 2006. He leads the

English Longitudinal Study of Ageing The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) is a longitudinal study that collects multidisciplinary data from a representative sample of the English population aged 50 and older to look at all aspects of aging in England. The study started in ...

(ELSA), and is engaged in several international research efforts on the social determinants of health. He served as president of the

British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headquar ...

(BMA) from 2010 to 2011, and is the new president of the

British Lung Foundation The British Lung Foundation (BLF) is a British charity that promotes lung health and supports those affected by lung disease. History The British Lung Foundation was established by Professor Sir Malcolm Green and a group of United Kingdom lun ...

. Marmot served as president of the

World Medical Association The World Medical Association (WMA) is an international and independent confederation of free professional medical associations representing physicians worldwide. WMA was formally established on September 18, 1947 and has grown to 115 national m ...

for 2015–16. Marmot was elected member of the

Academia Europaea The Academia Europaea is a pan-European Academy of Humanities, Letters, Law, and Sciences. The Academia was founded in 1988 as a functioning Europe-wide Academy that encompasses all fields of scholarly inquiry. It acts as co-ordinator of Europea ...

in 1995. Marmot was appointed

Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. Founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire, it is sometimes ...

(CH) in the

2023 New Year Honours The 2023 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebration ...

for services to public health.

Memberships

Marmot was elected as a

fellow of the Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

(FRCP) in 1989. He became a

fellow of the Faculty of Public Health The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) is a public health association in the United Kingdom established as a registered charity. It is the standard setting body for public health specialists within the United Kingdom, setting standards for training ...

(FFPHM) in 1989, a

fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) is an award for medical scientists who are judged by the UK Academy of Medical Sciences for the "excellence of their science, their contribution to medicine and society and the range of th ...

(FMedSci) in 2008, and was elected an

honorary fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...

(Hon FBA) also in 2008. He has been furthermore elected an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health (Hon FRSPH) in 2008, an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (Hon FRCPsych) in 2013, and an honorary fellow of the Faculty of Public Health (Hon FFPH). Marmot is a Foreign Associate Member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM).

Research

Marmot conducted ground-breaking studies of heart disease and stroke, comparing Japanese people in Japan (high stroke rates, low heart attack rates) with those in Hawaii and California, where, especially in later generations, the disease patterns became reversed after adopting lifestyle, stress and diet changes. He has more recently led the Whitehall Studies of British civil servants, again focusing on heart disease and other disease patterns. His department includes the MRC National Survey of Health & Development, a longitudinal study directed by Professor Michael Wadsworth of people born in Britain in 1946 and followed up since. There are 120 other academic staff in the department. Marmot has a special interest in inequalities in health and their causes, and has been a government advisor in seeking to identify ways to mitigate them. He served on the Scientific Advisory Group of the Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health chaired by Sir Donald Acheson, the former UK chief medical officer. This reported in November 1998. In ''The Status Syndrome: How your social standing directly affects your health and life expectancy'', he argues that socio-economic position is an important determinant for health outcomes. This result holds even if we control for the effects of income, education and risk factors (such as smoking) on health. The causal pathway Marmot identifies concerns the psychic benefits of "being in control" of one's life. Autonomy in this sense is related to our socio-economic position. Based on comparative studies, Marmot argues that we can make our society more participatory and inclusive to increase overall public health. In 2008, Marmot appeared in '' Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?'', an American documentary series examining the

social determinants of health The social determinants of health (SDOH) are the economic and social conditions that influence individual and group differences in health status. They are the health promoting factors found in one's living and working conditions (such as the d ...

that drew heavily from Marmot's work on the Whitehall Studies. On 6 November 2008, Prime Minister

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...

announced that the Secretary of State for Health

Alan Johnson Alan Arthur Johnson (born 17 May 1950) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education and Skills from 2006 to 2007, Secretary of State for Health from 2007 to 2009, Home Secretary from 2009 to 2010, and Shadow Chancel ...

had asked Marmot to chair a review of health inequalities in England; to inform policy making and address health inequalities from 2010. The review was announced at the launch of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health report ''Closing the Gap in a Generation''. The review was published in 2010 entitled ''Fair society, healthy lives : the Marmot Review''. In 2020, Marmot co-authored ''Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On.'' It found that life expectancy is falling among the poorest people and particularly amongst women in certain English regions. Published in the same year, ''Build Back Fairer: The COVID-19 Marmot Review'' explored connections between inequality in socioeconomic conditions and COVID-19 death tolls, recommending investing in public health. In 2021, a follow up report looking at

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...

noted a greater fall in

life expectancy Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of its birth, current age, and other demographic factors like sex. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth ...

in the poorer areas of the county. It made recommendations around improving

living standards Standard of living is the level of income, comforts and services available, generally applied to a society or location, rather than to an individual. Standard of living is relevant because it is considered to contribute to an individual's quality ...

working conditions {{Short description, 1=Overview of and topical guide to working time and conditions This is a list of topics on working time and conditions. Legislation * See :Employment law Working time * See :Working time * Flextime Working conditions * Bios ...

and increasing prospects for young people. In 2022, Marmot warned of the risk of "a humanitarian crisis" the next winter caused by "fuel poverty", which could have long-term consequences mostly for the young and least well-off.

Selected bibliography

Books

* * * * * *

Journal articles and research

*Marmot, M (2021) ''Build Back Fairer in Greater Manchester'' *Marmot, M (2020) et al. ''Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On'' *Marmot, M (2010). ''Fair society, healthy lives : the Marmot review ; strategic review of health inequalities in England post-2010'' *

Awards and honours

* 2016 Awarded an honorary doctorate by the

Norwegian University of Science and Technology Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

(NTNU). * 2015 C.-E. A. Winslow Medal, Yale * 2012 Lifetime Award Fellowship Eur Academy of Occupational Health Psychology * 2012 Patron of Medsin-UK * 2012 European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology Fellowship * 2011 Ambuj Nath Bose Prize, Royal College of Physicians * 2011 Medal of City of Lima, awarded by Mayor of Lima * 2011 Sir Liam Donaldson Lecture and Medal, Health Protection Agency * 2011 Fellow, Association for Psychological Medicine * 2011 Avedis Donabedian International Foundation Award * 2010 Manchester Doubleday Award, Manchester School of Medicine * 2010 Jenner Medal, Royal Society of Medicine * 2010–11 President, British Medical Association * 2008 Tore Andersson Award in Epidemiological Research, Karolinska Institutet, * 2008 William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research * 2007 Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Foundation Hero Award * 2006 Winner BMA Book Awards 2006 (Public Health) * 2006

, Royal College of Physicians * 2004 Balzan Prize for Epidemiology * 2004 Alwyn Smith Prize Medal for distinguished service to public health, Faculty of Public Health * 2004

Bisset Hawkins Medal The Bisset Hawkins Medal is a triennial award made by the Royal College of Physicians of London to acknowledge work done in the preceding ten years in advancing sanitary science or promoting public health. It is named after Francis Bisset Hawkins (1 ...

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

* 2003 Visiting Fellow Commoner, Trinity College, Cambridge * 2002 Decade of Behaviour Distinguished Speaker, Gerontological Society of America * 2002 Patricia B Barchas Award, American Psychosomatic Society

References

External links

Tackling health inequalities: ‘Marmot cities’Coventry:A marmot city
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marmot, Sir Michael 1945 births British medical researchers British Jews British epidemiologists British public health doctors Jewish scientists Knights Bachelor Living people People educated at Sydney Boys High School Australian public health doctors Medical doctors from Sydney Sydney Medical School alumni UC Berkeley School of Public Health alumni 21st-century English medical doctors Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Academics of University College London Honorary Fellows of the British Academy Presidents of the British Medical Association Members of the National Academy of Medicine Ihsan Doğramacı Family Health Foundation Prize laureates