Sir  Liam Donaldson  FRCS(Ed), FRCP, FRCP(Ed), FMedSci, FRCA
Chief Medical Officer for England
Incumbent
Assumed office  1998
Preceded by	Sir Kenneth Calman
Chair of the World Alliance for Patient Safety
Incumbent
Assumed office  2004
Chancellor of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Incumbent
Assumed office  1 August 2009
Preceded by	Lord Patten of Barnes
Born	May 3, 1949 (1949-05-03) (age 60) Middlesbrough, England
Alma mater	University of Bristol
Profession	Physician and Surgeon

Sir Liam Joseph Donaldson (b. 3 May 1949, Middlesbrough, England, UK) is currently the Chief Medical Officer for England.^[1] As such he is principal advisor to the United Kingdom Government on health matters and one of the most senior officials in the National Health Service (NHS).

In the 2002 New Year Honours List, Liam Donaldson received a knighthood in recognition of his achievements in health and health care.^[2]

Contents 1 Career 2 Academic and Other Posts 3 Achievements 4 Britain's drinking problem 5 Publications 6 Degrees 7 Fellowships 8 Other Honours 9 Offices held 10 References

[edit] Career

Donaldson was appointed as Chief Medical Officer in 1998. Between 1994 and 1998 he was Regional Director for the NHS Region of Northern and Yorkshire, and prior to that Regional Medical Officer and Regional Director of Public Health for the Northern Regional Health Authority. He began his career as a surgeon before training in public health.

[edit] Academic and Other Posts

Donaldson is Visiting Professor in the University of Leicester's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, and also holds an honorary Chair of Applied Epidemiology at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. On 1 August 2009 Donaldson became Chancellor of Newcastle University, replacing Lord Patten, who stood down after 10 years in office.^[3]

He is also Chair of the World Alliance for Patient Safety, which was established by the Director-General of the World Health Organization in October 2004.^[4]

[edit] Achievements

As a result of his reports as Chief Medical Officer, Donaldson has had a marked effect on policy and legislation in a wide range of areas including stem cell research, quality and safety of health care, infectious disease control, patient empowerment, clinical performance, temperance legislation, medical regulation, and organ and tissue retention.^[5]

[edit] Britain's drinking problem

In March 2009, in order to combat what he referred to as the country's drinking problem, Donaldson recommended setting a minimum price per unit of alcohol at 50p and tightening licensing laws. Despite Prime Minister Gordon Brown's opposition to the move, Donaldson said he would continue to push his case, just as he had with the successful ban on smoking in public places.^[6]

[edit] Publications

Liam Donaldson is co-author of a standard text book of public health,^[7] a history of the Chief Medical Officers of England^[8] and over 120 papers in peer review journals. He has also written a foreword for a book on clinical audit.^[9]

[edit] Degrees

Donaldson has degrees from:

• the University of Bristol (MB ChB, 1972), where he attended Wills Hall,^[10]
• the University of Birmingham,^[11] and
• the University of Leicester (MD, 1981), and he was also a Lecturer in the Department of Community Health, and subsequently Senior Lecturer in Epidemiology for four years.^[12]

He has also been awarded honorary Doctorates by:

• Huddersfield University (honorary DSc, 1998),^[13]
• the University of Bristol (honorary MD, 1999),^[14]
• the University of Leicester,^[15]
• Cranfield University (2000),^[16]
• the University of Portsmouth,
• the University of East Anglia (honorary ScD, 2003),^[17]
• the University of Teeside (honorary DSc, 2004),^[18]
• the University of York (2004),^[19]
• the University of Nottingham (honorary DM, 2005),^[20]
• De Montfort University (honorary DSc, 2005),^[21]
• the University of Sunderland (honorary DSc, 2006),^[22] and
• the University of Hull (honorary DSc, 2006).^[23]

[edit] Fellowships

Donaldson is also:

• a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCS(Ed)),
• a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine (FFPHM),
• a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP),
• a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (FRCP(Ed)),
• a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci), and
• a Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (FRCA).

[edit] Other Honours

Other honours include:

• the post of Queen's Honorary Physician during the mid-1990s,
• the College Medal by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, awarded in June 2000,
• a knighthood in the New Year's Honours List in 2002,^[24] and
• the Picker Award for Excellence, in recognition of his achievements in the field of patient-centred care and patient safety.^[25]

[edit] Offices held

Academic offices
Preceded by Lord Patten of Barnes	Chancellor of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne 2009–	Succeeded by Incumbent

[edit] References