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.