Abstract
Professor Dame Sally Davies will discuss two areas; the main public health issues concerning women in today’s society and the progress towards better representation for women throughout the medical profession and academia. She will consider challenges to women’s health that relate to their sex (such as maternal obesity, sex specific cancers etc) and to their gender (such as domestic violence). She will look at how addressing these challenges will help improve the health of the whole population. Linking these wider issues to women in academia and the medical profession, she will discuss how these professions have changed as women have played a more leading role. Dame Sally will focus on the opportunities for improving the health of the whole population by ensuring women have a leading role in the planning and provision of health services and by taking equal part in determining the research agenda.
Biography
Dame Sally became Chief Medical Officer for England and Chief Medical Advisor to the UK Government on 3 March 2010. She retains responsibility for Research and Development, and is the Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health.
Dame Sally is independent advisor to the Government on medical matters, with particular responsibilities regarding Public Health. She provides professional leadership for Directors of Public Health and will lead a public health professional network for those responsible for public health services. She is professional head of the Department’s medical staff and head of the Medical Civil service.
Sally has been actively involved in NHS R&D from its establishment and founded the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) with a budget of £1 billion.
Sally has led UK delegations to WHO summits and forums since 2004 and has played an active role on numerous international committees including WHO Global Advisory Committee on Health Research (ACHR). She has advised many others on research strategy.
Her own research interests focused on sickle cell disease.