John Norman Newton (born 7 January 1959) is a British

epidemiologist 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, and application of this knowledge to prevent diseases. It is a cornerstone ...

and public health expert. He was the Director of Health Improvement at Public Health England, and in 2020 coordinated the UK Government's COVID-19 testing programme.

Education

He was educated at

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by royal charter, to replace the town's Saxon collegiate foundations which were disestablished in the sixteenth century, Shrewsb ...

Trinity College, Oxford Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in E ...

(MA),

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

(

MBBS A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

) and the

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine. The institu ...

(MSc).

Career

Newton was an academic epidemiologist at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, and the founding Chief Executive of the charity

UK Biobank UK Biobank is a long-term prospective biobank study in the United Kingdom (UK) that houses the de-identified biological samples and health-related data of half a million people. The volunteer participants aged 40-69 were recruited between 2006 ...

. He also served as Director of Research at Oxford's

John Radcliffe Hospital John Radcliffe Hospital (informally known as the JR or the John Radcliffe) is a large tertiary teaching hospital in Oxford, England. It forms part of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is named after John Radcliffe (physician) ...

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 The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

in 2004, and Professor of Public Health and Epidemiology at the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...

in May 2021. In 2005 he led work for the UK

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 o ...

on a national public health information and intelligence strategy. He was appointed as Regional Director of Public Health for NHS South Central in 2007. He has acted as an expert witness in epidemiology in relation to litigation since 1994, including on MMR and Autism,

Norplant Levonorgestrel-releasing implant, sold under the brand name Jadelle among others, are devices that release levonorgestrel for birth control. It is one of the most effective forms of birth control with a one-year failure rate around 0.05%. The de ...

and Seroxat. Newton was appointed as Director of Health Improvement for

Public Health England Public Health England (PHE) was an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in England which began operating on 1 April 2013 to protect and improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. Its formation came as a ...

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 comm ...

testing programme. On 1 October 2021, following the abolition of

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 Department of Health and Social Care that leads national efforts to improve public health policy across England. The body is a successor organisation to P ...

. 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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two 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 ...

for services to public health.

Other roles

From 2015 to 2019, Professor Newton chaired the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

'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 The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

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 concerned with the improvement of the public's health. RSPH's Chief Executive is William Roberts, while its current president is Professor Lord Patel of Bradf ...

(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