Chief Medical Officer delivers Roscoe Lecture

01 March 2010

Entitled ‘The Legacy of Dr Duncan - the first Chief Medical Officer,’ the lecture explained how Dr Duncan’s appointment led to the creation of the CMO position and outlined the achievements of those who had held the post.

The lecture also focused on major developments in medical history, with entertaining slides and audio and visual footage of archive radio announcements and advertisements.

Talking about more recent advancements, Sir Liam outlined how he and his team and led the campaign to ban smoking in public areas, which had at first been greeted with contempt, and explained how he hoped his aim to introduce a minimum price for alcohol would eventually also be welcomed by the public.

Also high on Sir Liam’s agenda is to close the gaps in life expectancy age of people living in wealthy and deprived areas.

Finishing the lecture he commented: “Public health is not a battle to be fought alone. We’ve made good progress but there is still much more that needs to be done.”

Sir Liam Joseph Donaldson was appointed as the CMO for England in 1998 and as such is the Government’s principal advisor on health matters. He has led major public health campaigns including the smoking ban, drives to improve safety in surgery, new legislation for research using embryonic cells and gaining consent for removal of organs and tissues. He has also been involved in the response to the Swine Flu Pandemic, as Chair of the Pandemic Influenza Board.

In 2002 Sir Liam received a knighthood in recognition of his achievements in health and healthcare. He has received numerous awards including 14 honorary doctorates from British universities, eight fellowships from medical royal colleges and faculties and has also been awarded the President’s Gold Medal of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Sir Liam recently announced that he will step down in May 2010 after 12 years of service, making him the longest serving CMO of modern times.