New Chair appointed at the Royal Society for Public Health
1 April 2009
On April 1st 2009 Dr Selwyn Hodge will become Chair of the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH). Dr Hodge will be taking over from Professor Alan Maryon Davis, Inaugural Chair of the RSPH, who oversaw the merger of the Royal Society for Health (RSH) and the Royal Institute of Public Health (RIPH) in September 2008, and helped lead the organisation through their first six months of operation.
After leading the historic merger Professor Maryon Davis is now ready to hand over to the new Chair.
“The new organisation has now bedded in, is pointing in the right direction and has started to establish itself as a powerful new force in public health. Now is the right time for me to hand on the baton. Selwyn Hodge who, together with our incredibly hard-working and highly effective chief executive Richard Parish, I have no doubt will lead the RSPH into a great future.”
Dr. Hodge is a retired educational consultant. He has been Chief Education Adviser and Senior Assistant Director of Education for a local authority, has inspected schools nationally for OFSTED and has been the Chair of the Greater Manchester Federation of Clubs for Young People for 4 years, as well as acting as a trustee of the national body, Clubs for Young People UK. He is also Chair of Oldham Breathe Easy, a support group for people with respiratory problems, and a member of both the regional committee and the national support sub-committee of the British Lung Foundation
On his new appointment, Dr Hodge commented:
“I count it a great honour and privilege to be appointed as Chair of the RSPH. Its two predecessor organisations had a long and proud history of innovation and support in public health, which I will endeavour to continue during my term of office.”
Dr Hodge commented that partnership working will be an essential part of the RSPH’s future strategy to tackling global health problems:
“It goes without saying that we all want to see better health prospects for the global population, but much needs to be done if we are to achieve even a modicum of success. Personally I want to ensure that the vision of the RSPH is clearly enunciated and converted into a workable programme, which promotes closer co-operation between national and third sector organisations in improving health.”
Professor Richard Parish, Chief Executive of the Royal Society for Public Health commented:
“I am delighted Dr Selwyn Hodge has accepted the role of Chair. He will bring his substantial experience, commitment and knowledge to the position and I am confident that under his Chairmanship the RSPH will continue to thrive and make a real contribution to public health in the UK and beyond”.
