City Health International

Alison Chesney and Eddie Killoran

MEMORIAL LECTURES

The public lectures are held in memory of Alison Chesney and Eddie Killoran, who both died within 6 months of one another, in 2006. Both were well known and respected figures in the drugs field over many years and are still much missed by family, friends and colleagues alike. Following their untimely deaths a number of their friends and former colleagues began discussions to determine what might be a fitting way to remember them. Their families supported the idea of an annual memorial lecture, at which they and the work they undertook might be celebrated by those who knew them and also brought to a wider audience.

This year’s lecture has been delivered, as part of the agenda for City Health 2015, in Barcelona by Sir Harry Burns, Professor of Global Public Health, at the University of Strathclyde, and formerly Chief Medical Officer for Scotland.

The lecture explains the concept of ‘wellness’ and what it means in terms of eradicating poverty and how positive contributions to developing health and well-being for all sections of our communities is the key to improving life and functioning in urban environments.

He began his career in general surgery, and for five years he was a consultant surgeon at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary and subsequently became its Medical Director. Sir Harry completed a Masters Degree in Public Health in 1990 and, in 1993, became Director of Public Health for Greater Glasgow. In September 2005 he was appointed Chief Medical Officer for Scotland. His legacy in this post includes his ground-breaking work on the importance of the early years as the basis for health and wellbeing in adulthood, along with tackling issues of health and social inequality. In April 2014 Sir Harry stood down to take up his current role as Professor of Global Public Health at Strathclyde University. In December that year he was also presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the first Scottish Public Service Awards, recognising his lasting contribution to public service in Scotland.

The lecture took place at 15:45, on Thursday 5th November 2015, at CosmoCaixa, Isaac Newton St, 26, 08022 Barcelona. You can watch it here.

Sir Harry is Professor of Global Public Health, at the University of Strathclyde, having been the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland from September 2005 to April 2014. He has become known internationally for his work to address health inequalities.

Fiona Patten

2019

David Wilson

2018

Ruth Dreifuss

2017

Harry Shapiro

2016

Sir Harry Burns

2015

Manuel Carballo

2014

Michel Kazatchkine

2013

John Ashton

2012

Rosalie Pacula

2011

Gerry Stimson

2010

City Health International

Founded in 2012 City Health International is a network of individuals and organisations engaged in the study of and response to structural health issues and health behaviours in the urban environment.

For the first time in history the majority of the world’s population now live in urban environments and the proportion continues to grow. As national governments struggle to deal with the pressures and demands of growing urban populations against a backdrop of financial deficits and uncertainty, it is increasingly left to those working at a city level to provide the leadership and support needed to tackle key health issues.