RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences has announced the appointment of Professor Edward Gregg as Chair and Head of the university’s new School of Population Health. Professor Gregg will lead the RCSI School of Population Health in driving change for the population in Ireland and globally through science and advocacy.

Professor Gregg joins RCSI from his role as Professor and Chair in Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health at Imperial College London. He brings 25 years’ experience in leadership in research and education in population health, with a focus on chronic disease epidemiology and prevention and global health.

He has worked in governmental public health settings in the US (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and has led international efforts in chronic disease prevention for WHO.

Professor Gregg said: “I am delighted to join RCSI as inaugural Chair of Population Health. I look forward to leading the new School of Population Health in becoming an internationally-recognised school of population health sciences. Through multi-disciplinary programmes in research and education, collaboration and outreach, we will be a global leader in leveraging population health science to improve health and wellbeing across the world.”

Announcing Professor Gregg’s appointment, RCSI Vice Chancellor Professor Cathal Kelly said: “The need for population health science already existed for many other threats, but the Covid 19 pandemic has brought population sciences to the forefront and raised both awareness and expectations for what it can do to affect the other big challenges affecting population health.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome Professor Edward Gregg as RCSI’s inaugural Chair of Population Health. Together with a multi-disciplinary team of committed researchers and advocates, Professor Gregg will be at the forefront of RCSI’s commitment to building global understanding of health, diseases and their determinants in order to improve the health of human populations across the world.”

The RCSI School of Population Health aims to understand health, diseases and their determinants, and develop methodological approaches for population health research. This involves researchers, with a diverse range of backgrounds and specialities, analysing the current issues affecting human health and health services from different perspectives.

The School brings together epidemiologists, data scientists, biostatisticians, public health professionals, health economists and health behavioural scientists with a common objective of understanding, safeguarding and improving the health of human populations and individuals through education, cooperation and research.