Sir Chris Whitty

Who Sir Chris Whitty is

Professor Sir Chris Whitty KCB FRS is Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England, the UK government's Chief Medical Adviser, and head of the public health profession, a post he has held since October 2019. He is also a practising NHS Consultant Physician at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, and an honorary professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where he was previously Professor of Public and International Health and Director of the Malaria Centre. Before becoming CMO, he served as Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health and Social Care and head of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) from 2016 to 2021, and as interim Government Chief Scientific Adviser from 2017 to 2018. He co-chaired the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) throughout the COVID-19 pandemic alongside Sir Patrick Vallance, and was a prominent public face of the government's pandemic response. He has published annual CMO reports on subjects including health in an ageing society, health in cities, air pollution, and infections, and is known for advocating action on health inequalities, preventable disease in older adults, and the public health benefits of active travel.

References for this biography

1. 1.Professor Chris Whitty – GOV.UK — Current role, organisation, career history, annual reports list, and interim Permanent Secretary tenure
2. 2.Sir Christopher Whitty KCB FMedSci FRS – Royal Society Fellow — Fellowship of the Royal Society, clinical epidemiologist background, malaria research and LSHTM Malaria Centre directorship
3. 3.The UK response to COVID-19: use of scientific advice – House of Commons Science and Technology Committee — Co-chairing of SAGE with Patrick Vallance throughout the COVID-19 pandemic
4. 4.Sightsavers trustee Sir Chris Whitty knighted in New Year Honours — Knighthood (KCB) in 2022 New Year Honours for services to public health; Sightsavers trustee since 2017
5. 5.Chris Whitty to be honoured for steering nation through Covid pandemic — CB honour in 2015 for tropical medicine and Ebola response; KCB awarded at investiture ceremony
6. 6.Chief Medical Officer's annual report 2025: Infections – GOV.UK — 2025 CMO annual report on infections, with focus on older adults
7. 7.Contact the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) – GOV.UK — Organisation head-office address and postcode: 39 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0EU
8. 8.Professor Chris Whitty (@CMO_England) – X — Official X account identity, confirmed as England's Chief Medical Officer account

Notable achievements

• Appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to public health, recognising his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Source ↗
• Co-chaired SAGE throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside Government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, providing scientific advice to government. Source ↗
• Published six CMO annual reports covering infections (2025), health in cities (2024), health in an ageing society (2023), air pollution (2022), health in coastal communities (2021), and health trends and variation in England (2020). Source ↗
• Previously received the Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 2015 for services to tropical medicine in the UK and Africa, including his role in drawing up the government's response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. Source ↗
• Served as interim Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care from December 2024 to June 2025. Source ↗
• Elected Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) and Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci). Source ↗

What Sir Chris Whitty has said

• “Smoking causes serious harm across the life course and remains a major cause of diseases including lung diseases, heart disease, stroke, bad pregnancy outcomes and premature death. Second-hand smoke is also extremely dangerous, particularly for children, pregnant women and people with medical conditions.”

  Chief Medical Officer for England · Children's health · 30 Sept 2026 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill becomes law ↗

• “If you smoke, vaping is much safer; if you don't smoke, don't vape.”

  England's chief medical officer · Public health & prevention · 10 Sept 2026 · Co-op staff told to boost promotion of vapes after costly cyber-attack, document shows ↗

• “People who do not smoke but who are exposed to secondhand smoke can suffer significant harmful effects on their health, including an increased risk of asthma, poor birth outcomes, several cancers, stroke and heart disease.”

  England's chief medical officer · Public health & prevention · 10 Sept 2026 · Vaping in cars carrying children to be banned in England ↗

• “GLP-1s, they are very good drugs. [But] we know that if you stop them, the weight comes on again. Some people have very bad reactions to them. It's very small numbers, but they do. And a large number of people have unpleasant side-effects, largely gastrointestinal.”

  Chief medical adviser · Public health & prevention · 10 Sept 2026 · Weight-loss drugs alone will not solve UK’s obesity crisis, says Chris Whitty ↗

• “certain industries – including food – have used 'very strong lobbyists' to persuade successive UK governments not to adopt policies that would improve the population's health.”

  chief medical officer for England · Public health & prevention · 10 Sept 2026 · UK junk food ad ban so diluted it may be largely ineffective, experts say ↗

• “According to Professor Chris Whitty, this situation arises because it is more 'lucrative' to work in the private sector.”

  Chief Medical Officer (implied by title) · Dentistry access · 10 Sept 2026 · Workforce planning – the issue that won’t go away ↗

• “this is hardly rocket science: France has kept obesity levels steady since 1990”

  government's chief medical adviser · Public health & prevention · 10 Sept 2026 · The Guardian view on obesity: put public health before food industry pressure | Editorial ↗

• “My view is that we should be taking infections in older people much more seriously. Antibiotic stewardship is of course essential, but in older people, the risks of an infection turning into sepsis are much higher, so the risk benefit is more in favour of treatment.”

  Chief Medical Officer · Respiratory (asthma/COPD) · 10 Sept 2026 · GPs should have lower threshold for antibiotic prescribing in elderly, says CMO ↗

• “In his annual report – looking at infectious diseases – Professor Whitty had warned there is a need to be more 'systematic' about preventing infections in older age groups who can 'suffer significant harms'.”

  Chief Medical Officer · Respiratory (asthma/COPD) · 10 Sept 2026 · GP practices considering stopping flu vaccinations due to financial viability ↗

• “There had always been a difficulty in 'linking up primary care data, general practice data, with secondary care data' and that such linkage was crucial in order to 'identify rare adverse effects'.”

  England's chief medical officer · Respiratory (asthma/COPD) · 10 Sept 2026 · Linking of GP and hospital records needed to spot rare vaccine effects, says Covid inquiry ↗

• “GPs are increasingly having to start their consultations by 'undoing' incorrect information that AI has provided to patients”

  England's Chief Medical Officer · Cancer · 10 Sept 2026 · GPs forced to ‘undo’ incorrect AI information patients read, says chief medical officer ↗

• “It is now clear that even small amounts of physical activity produce important benefits compared to none, and the benefits steadily increase up to the recommended 150 minutes a week.”

  Chief Medical Officer · Heart disease & stroke · 10 Sept 2026 · New UK exercise guidance says 150-minute target is not an ‘absolute threshold’ ↗

• “it would be a "societal failure" if medicating people for life was our only answer to obesity.”

  England's Chief Medical Officer · Public health & prevention · 8 Sept 2026 · Why England’s obesity rate has doubled since 1993 ↗

• “Stand back from the day to day, he said, and the extraordinary leaps forward enabled by vaccinations and other advances in treatment and public health come into focus.”

  Chief medical officer for England · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · The Guardian view on cancer survival rates: there is good news about healthcare amid the gloom | Editorial ↗

• “Prof Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer and an infectious disease specialist, often points out that the bigger public health crisis today is one of inequality and the toll of long-term, chronic illness.”

  England's chief medical officer and an infectious disease specialist · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · The Guardian view on meningitis in Kent: we must not take public health systems for granted | Editorial ↗

• “Whilst we are very systematic about reducing infections and preventing infections in children and in young adults, in older adults it's often a lot more hit and miss.”

  Chief Medical Officer for England · Elderly care & frailty · 27 Aug 2026 · Preventing infections in older people is hit and miss, says England’s chief medic ↗

• “Cooper said that she had discussed a public health awareness campaign with the chief medical officer, Sir Chris Whitty, warning people to look out for elderly relatives and those with young babies to ensure they were coping in the heat.”

  Chief Medical Officer · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · NHS must prepare for annual summer heat pressures, says Yvette Cooper ↗

Recent social activity

• Targeting nicotine vapes at children using colours, flavours and displays to addict them is shameful. Vapes can help adult smokers quit but marketing to children is unacceptable. A consultation on proposals to reduce the appeal of vapes to children is open https://t.co/aAFigAfQIV

  x.com ↗

• A red heat-health alert has been issued this week. Extreme heat can be dangerous for young children, elderly and vulnerable people. Rehydrating and cooling can be life saving. For advice on identifying and treating heat exhaustion and heatstroke see here: https://t.co/tkUJFbbsEX https://t.co/cVhwskvL9B

  x.com ↗

Where Sir Chris Whitty has been quoted

1. Dr Tedros visits LSHTM to strengthen collaboration with WHOlshtm.ac.uk · 4 Oct 2026
2. Tobacco and Vapes Bill becomes lawgov.uk · 30 Sept 2026
3. Co-op staff told to boost promotion of vapes after costly cyber-attack, document showstheguardian.com · 10 Sept 2026
4. Vaping in cars carrying children to be banned in Englandtheguardian.com · 10 Sept 2026
5. Weight-loss drugs alone will not solve UK’s obesity crisis, says Chris Whittytheguardian.com · 10 Sept 2026
6. UK junk food ad ban so diluted it may be largely ineffective, experts saytheguardian.com · 10 Sept 2026
7. Workforce planning – the issue that won’t go awaydentistry.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
8. The Guardian view on obesity: put public health before food industry pressure | Editorialtheguardian.com · 10 Sept 2026
9. GPs should have lower threshold for antibiotic prescribing in elderly, says CMOpulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
10. GP practices considering stopping flu vaccinations due to financial viabilitypulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
11. Linking of GP and hospital records needed to spot rare vaccine effects, says Covid inquirypulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
12. GPs forced to ‘undo’ incorrect AI information patients read, says chief medical officerpulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
13. New UK exercise guidance says 150-minute target is not an ‘absolute threshold’pulsetoday.co.uk · 10 Sept 2026
14. Why England’s obesity rate has doubled since 1993bbc.co.uk · 8 Sept 2026
15. The Guardian view on cancer survival rates: there is good news about healthcare amid the gloom | Editorialtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
16. The Guardian view on meningitis in Kent: we must not take public health systems for granted | Editorialtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
17. Preventing infections in older people is hit and miss, says England’s chief medictheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
18. NHS must prepare for annual summer heat pressures, says Yvette Coopertheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

• Free toothbrush packs offered to West Northants familiesBBC
• Not NHS versus private – why Scotland is becoming a mixed practice economy by necessityDentistry.co.uk
• Delay of children’s hospital would ‘impose considerable additional costs’, Minister warnsThe Irish Times

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.gov.uk/government/people/christopher-whitty
• Xhttps://x.com/CMO_England

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.