David Haslam (physician)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Sir David Anthony Haslam (born 4 July 1949) is a British doctor, writer and health administrator. He studied at Monkton Combe School and the University of Birmingham, earning MB ChB with additional diplomas in obstetrics and family planning. He worked as a general practitioner for 36 years in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire.

Key roles and leaderships
- President of the British Medical Association, 2011–2012
- President of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), 2006–2009; Chair of the RCGP Examinations Board, 1993–2000; RCGP Council member, 1987–2009; Examiners Panel member, 1985–2000
- Vice Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
- Chair of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), 2013–2019
- Expert member of the NHS National Quality Board, 2009–2014
- Member of the NHS Modernisation Board, 2001–2004
- Co-chair of the NHS Future Forum Information Group, 2011
- Member of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB), 2003–2010
- National Clinical Adviser to the Healthcare Commission (2005–2009) and to the Care Quality Commission (2009–2013)

Later roles and academic work
- Chair of the Trustee Board of CLIC Sargent (Young Lives vs Cancer), starting in 2020
- Professor of General Practice at the University of Nicosia (appointed 2014); Director of the State Health Services Organisation in Cyprus (2018–2022); Professor Emeritus at the University of Nicosia (2025)
- Non-Executive Director of Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust (2020–2024)
- Non-Executive Chair of Itecho Health (2024) and member of the Council of St George’s House, Windsor Castle (2024)

Publications and influence
- Wrote his first medical articles for World Medicine and has published more than 2,000 articles in medical and popular outlets
- Authored 14 books on health and parenting in 13 languages; his 2022 book Side Effects: How our healthcare lost its way, and how we fix it, was named Observer Book of the Week
- Fellowships: Royal College of General Practitioners (1989), Faculty of Public Health (2003), Royal College of Physicians (2004); honorary Fellow of the Academy of Medical Educators (2010)
- Honorary degrees: University of Birmingham (2014), University of East Anglia (2016)
- Honors: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2004, knighted in 2018 for services to NHS leadership

Public recognition
- Health Service Journal named him the 30th most powerful person in the NHS in 2013
- Listed as a top clinical leader and influential figure in subsequent years
- Included among the UK’s 500 most influential and inspirational people in 2014 by the Sunday Times and Debrett’s