About the Author

Professor Anthony Kessel is a public health physician, academic and author. Since 2019 Anthony has been working as Clinical Director (National Clinical Policy) at NHS England & Improvement. Prior to this, Anthony worked for a decade as Director of Global Public Health at Public Health England and National Director of Public Health Strategy, Director of R&D and Medical Director at the Health Protection Agency. Anthony’s other leadership responsibilities in these roles included antimicrobial resistance, pandemic influenza, climate change, professional development, clinical governance, and responsibility for the revalidation of 600 medical consultants across the national public health system. Anthony is also currently Senior Public Health Advisor to the Football Association (FA), public health advisor to the film/TV industry, and advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO) on public health. Previously, Anthony was Director of Public Health and Medical Director at Camden Primary Care Trust (2004–2009), and is also a GP.

In parallel, Anthony holds a university position as Honorary Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, where he co-established the International Programme for Ethics, Public Health and Human Rights. As well as an active research portfolio, Anthony has over 100 publications in areas of public health, environmental health and the medical humanities, including a sole author book Air, the Environment and Public Health (Cambridge University Press, 2006). Anthony is a Trustee (non-executive) Director of the national charities GambleAware and BookTrust, a Trustee Director of a mental health charity, Innate Health, a Council member of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), and advises other charities working in global health. Anthony has trained as an executive coach, and writes a personal column exploring his leadership work through a lens of psychological wellbeing, ‘Global Health Experience’ (https://medium.com/@AKessel).

In 2013, Anthony published a fiction book for young children, The Amazing Adventures of Perch the Cat (Matador, 2013). Anthony’s new 4-book ‘DON’T DOUBT THE RAINBOW’ adventure series for middle-grade children is centred on a 13-year-old detective, Edie Marble, and will be published by Crown House. Threaded through the series is an approach to support psychological wellbeing and resilience in this age group. The first book, The Five Clues, will be published in March 2021.

Anthony can be contacted via LinkedIn or email: anthony.kessel@lshtm.ac.uk