Jennifer DixonThink tank

Biography

Dr Jennifer Dixon DBE is Chief Executive of the Health Foundation, an independent charitable think tank that conducts research and policy analysis and makes grants to improve health and health care in the UK. She joined the Health Foundation in October 2013, having previously served as Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust (2008–2013), Director of Policy at The King's Fund, and policy advisor to the Chief Executive of the NHS (1998–2000). Originally trained in medicine, she practised mainly paediatric medicine before moving into policy analysis. She holds a Master's in public health and a PhD in health services research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She is known for contributing analysis on NHS finances, health care quality, and the wider determinants of health, and was awarded a damehood in the 2024 King's New Year Honours for services to the NHS and public health.

References

1. 1.Dr Jennifer Dixon DBE – The Health Foundation (staff page) — Current role, career history, board memberships, fellowships, and honorary doctorate
2. 2.Jennifer Dixon recognised in King's New Year Honours List – The Health Foundation — Award of DBE in 2024 New Year Honours for services to the NHS and public health
3. 3.Dr Jennifer Dixon – Speakers for Schools — CBE award 2013, career background, board memberships, academic credentials
4. 4.The Health Foundation – Companies House — Registered office address: 8 Salisbury Square, London, EC4Y 8AP
5. 5.Contact our media office – The Health Foundation — Organisational press office contact details (email and phone)

Expertise

Cited on

• Hospital discharge / bed-blocking
• Adult social care & reform

Stated areas of expertise

• NHS funding and sustainability
• Health care quality improvement
• Health policy reform
• Public health
• Social determinants of health
• Health care performance and regulation

Notable achievements

• Awarded a damehood (DBE) in the 2024 King's New Year Honours for services to the NHS and public health. Source ↗
• Awarded a CBE for services to public health in 2013. Source ↗
• Elected a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 2009 and a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2019. Source ↗
• Served as a Board member of the UK Health Security Agency 2022–2024, the Care Quality Commission 2013–2016, the Audit Commission 2003–2012, and the Health Care Commission 2004–2009. Source ↗
• Awarded an honorary doctorate of science from Bristol University in 2016. Source ↗

What they’ve said

• “Health service leaders are telling us that unless we act on prevention, we may not have an NHS to fix. There is a very real risk that it will collapse under the weight of avoidable illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses that are intimately associated with poor diet, drinking and smoking, and also largely preventable, unless the government acts boldly on these huge threats to the public's health.”

  Chief Executive of the Health Foundation · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Food industry lobbying is leading Labour to drop public health plans, experts say ↗

• “These findings reveal a stark truth – the UK's health is going backwards. The lights on the dashboard are flashing red. We are the most obese country in western Europe, mental ill health has surged to unprecedented levels and more people than ever before are living with chronic health conditions.”

  Chief Executive of the Health Foundation · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · People in UK spend fewer years in good health than a decade ago, study finds ↗

• “called it a "chainsaw approach" and compared the rapid turnover of health agencies in England to the situation in Germany, where an institute with a similar remit to the UK Health Security Agency has existed since 1891”

  chief executive of the Health Foundation thinktank · Adult social care & reform · 27 Aug 2026 · The Guardian view on Labour’s NHS reforms: where is the plan to deliver them? ↗

Source references

1. Food industry lobbying is leading Labour to drop public health plans, experts saytheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
2. People in UK spend fewer years in good health than a decade ago, study findstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
3. The Guardian view on Labour’s NHS reforms: where is the plan to deliver them?theguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.health.org.uk/about-the-health-foundation/our-people/directors-team/dr-jennifer-dixon
• LinkedInhttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/dr-jennifer-dixon-thf
• Press office emailmediaoffice@health.org.ukpublished here ↗
• Press office phone020 7664 4647published here ↗

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