Poverty and health in the spotlight

The Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, Sir Harry Burns, will discuss the link between poverty and poor health at a public lecture at Northumbria University this week.

In his lecture – The Biology of Poverty - he will outline some of the reasons why people at the lower end of the socioeconomic scale are less likely to be healthy and more likely to die prematurely than their more affluent neighbours.

With a degree in medicine, Sir Harry became Honorary Consultant Surgeon and Senior Lecturer at the University Department of Surgery in Glasgow Royal Infirmary in 1984. He then worked as Director of Public Health for the Greater Glasgow Health Board for more than ten years where he researched the problems of social determinants of health.

As Chief Medical Officer, he is the Scottish Government’s principal medical adviser and is Head of the Scottish Medical Civil Service.

The lecture will be held this Thursday (24 October) at 6.30pm in lecture theatre 002 in the Business and Law building on City Campus East. A pre-lecture drinks reception will be held from 6pm. Anyone interested in attending is asked to book a place at nu.events@northumbria.ac.uk or call (0191) 227 3025.