Professor Sir Michael Marmot delivers final of four Boyer Lectures in the 2016 series

Listen to the final episode in this Boyer Lectures series 2016.

In this 57th Boyer Lecture Series, Professor Marmot will explore the challenges faced by nations and communities in reducing health inequality.

Epidemiologist and former ABC Board member Fiona Stanley has called Sir Michael 'the world's most important social commentator and epidemiologist describing the social determinants of health'.

About the Boyer Lectures

The Boyer Lecture series, named after former ABC chairman Sir Richard Boyer, is a series of radio lectures from a prominent Australian invited to express their thoughts on major social, cultural, scientific or political issues.

The first 2016 Boyer Lecture was delivered in Sydney on Thursday 1 September 2016, and all of the lectures will be broadcast on RN over four consecutive Saturdays.

The Boyer Lectures are also podcast: you can subscribe on iTunes or on your podcast app.

New Report Published on Health Inequalities in Taiwan 

The Taiwan Health Promotion Administration, at the Ministry of Health and Welfare have published a new report, 'Health Inequalities in Taiwan' . The report was commisioned by Shu-Ti Chiou, Director General of the Health Promotion Administration, and prepared at the UCL Institute of Health Equity by Peter Goldblatt, Jessica Allen, Laura Grobicki and Ellen Bloomer.

Information for the report was collected and analysed in Taiwan by staff of Surveillance and Research Division of the Health Promotion Administration, with advice from Tung-Liang Chiang.

The authors are grateful to Georgina Kyriakou for her meticulous checking of the report and to Angela Scott and colleagues at UCL Creative MediaServices for the graphic design of the report.

Beyond the Referendum

02nd July 2016

In this clipping from within the BMJ, we see comments, from Michael Marmot and others, about where the vote leaves the NHS, health workforce, science and research.

PAHO - Commissioned Review of Equity and Health Inequalities in the Americas

On 11 May 2016, The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) launched a 'Review of Equity and Health Inequalities in the Americas'. The review will be chaired by IHE Director, Professor Sir Michael Marmot.

Some articles have been published to mark the launch of the review: 

- PAHO Launches High Level Commission on Inequality and Health in the Region 

- PAHO Launches New Commission on Link Between Inequality and Health

Read more about the Launch

Watch/Listen to Dr Jessica Allen's presentation from the King's Fund Conference - 'Maximising the impact of the NHS in tackling health inequalities'

Jessica Allen: Narrowing the health and wellbeing gap 

Here you will find a audio recording of Dr Jessica Allen, presenting at the King's Fund conference on'Maximising the impact of the NHS in tackling health inequalities'.

The audio can be listened to at Vimeo, alongside visuals of her slides from the day. 

In the recording she discusses how local health bodies can use the Social Value Act to reduce health inequalities through action on the social determinants of health, and improve the health and wellbeing of the local population.

You can also read the accompanying blog post by David Buck of the Kings Fund.

UCL Health and Society Summer School: Social Determinants of Health - 4th to 8th July 2016

Places still available for this one week non-residential UCL Health and Society summer school: Social Determinants of Health will be held from 4th to 8th July 2016 at UCL in central London. The summer school is organised by the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health. It provides an indepth assessment of the social determinants of health from a global research, policy and governance perspective. Participants will have numerous opportunities for discussion over the one week course.

Professor Sir Michael Marmot will open the summer school with a presentation on the social determinants of health and close the week with a lecture and discussion on national and international policy development. 

• Topics covered
• Accommodation
• Frequently asked questions
• How to book and pay for the summer school

For more details please contact: Ms Emily Poole (Summer school administrator)

T: +44 (0) 20 7679 1680

F: +44 (0) 20 3108 3354

E: e.poole@ucl.ac.uk

W: www.ucl.ac.uk/healthandsociety

Dr Jessica Allen features in Panorama's - Too Poor to Stay Warm

Our joint Deputy Director Dr Jessica Allen has appeared in Panorama's - Too Poor to Stay Warm, broadcast Monday 21 March 16.

Moving forward monitoring of the social determinants of health in a country: lessons from England 5 years after the Marmot Review

Dr Peter Goldblatt has published this article for Global Health Action, in which he reflects on and examines the lessons that can be learned about indicators for monitoring social determinants of health inequalities from the Marmot Review and recent health inequality strategies in England.

British Ambassador hosts a dinner to celebrate Prince Mahidol Award winner Michael Marmot

Mark Kent, British Ambassador to Thailand, hosted a dinner at his Residence to celebrate the achievement of British Professor Sir Michael Marmot who has been awarded Prince Mahidol Award Laureate 2015 in the field of Public Health. 

UNDP Eurasia’s e-discussion begins, on the Social, Economic and Environmental Determinants (SEEDs) of Health and the Health Divide in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

To contribute you can:

1.  ‘Leave a comment’ function here (18-24 January).

2. Share widely with your networks.

3. Follow @cahamelmann for updates and further comments. For your own tweets, please use #TalkInequalities.

Your input will improve our programming and impact.

Read the 'SEEDS' report 'Addressing Social, Economic and Environmental Determinants of Health and the Health Divide' , written by UNDP and IHE in 2014.

Marmot Indicators for 2015 - Published

Launched by the Institute of Health Equity, the Marmot Indicators 2015 are a new set of indicators of the social determinants of health, health outcomes and social inequality, that broadly correspond to the six policy recommendations proposed in Fair Society, Healthy Lives:

1. Give every child the best start in life
2. Enable all children, young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives
3. Create fair employment and good work for all
4. Ensure healthy standard of living for all
5. Create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities
6.  Strengthen the role and impact of ill health prevention

See how your Local Authority is doing.

Download the Marmot Indicators 2015 Background Report, and the related Marmot Indicators 2015 Press Release.

Swedish Commission on Equal Health Visits UCL Institute of Health Equity

November 2015

The new Swedish Commission on Equal Health has visited the UCL Institute of Health Equity (IHE) to initiate the beginning of a formal collaboration.

The Swedish Commission for Health Equity is tasked to submit proposals that can contribute to decreases in health inequalities across society.

Swedish Commission Chair Olle Lundberg said "This has been an inspiring and important meeting for the Swedish Commission, says the Chair Olle Lundberg. Even though we in Sweden have partly different preconditions and challenges to those facing England, it is very valuable for us to listen to and discuss with Sir Michael and his team. I am also very happy that there is a mutual interest for continued collaboration and exchange of experiences as well as ideas between the Swedish Commission and Marmot’s team."

Prof. Sir Michael Marmot Awarded Thailand's Prestigous Prince Mahidol Award 2015

We are pleased to announce that this month, Nov 2015, Professor Sir Michael Marmot was announced as winner of the prestigious Prince Mahidol Award, for services in the field of Public Health

 'The Prince Mahidol Award Foundation of which H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is the President, has decided to confer this year’s Prince Mahidol Award in the field of Medicine to Professor Morton M. Mower from U.S.A.  In the field of Public Health, the Prince Mahidol Award is conferred to Sir Michael Gideon Marmot from The United Kingdom.'

 The Prince Mahidol Award Foundation is established with the avowed purposes of:

1. Honouring His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Songkla for his exemplary contributions to the advancement of medical, public health, and human services.
2. Conferring the Prince Mahidol Award on individual(s) or institution(s) for outstanding performance and/or research in the field of medicine for the benefit of mankind.
3. Conferring the Prince Mahidol Award on individual(s) or institution(s) for outstanding contribution in the field of public health for the sake of the well-being of the peoples.
4. Promoting public goods and cooperating with other non-profit organizations which share the same purpose.
5. Functioning without political affiliation.

A Lancet 'Film and Book' review by Michael Marmot, featuring Inequality: What Can Be Done? a book by Anthony B Atkinson, and The Divide, a film by Katharine Round

'Inspired by the seminal book, 'The Spirit Level' written by Professor Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, and the inspiring work by Sir Michael Marmot and colleagues, The Divide is a film on the human impact of rising inequality on society.'

'Film and Book - Inequality - what to do and why' is Michael Marmot's review of Katharine Round's film, The Divide, and Anthony B Atkinson's book, Inequality: What Can Be Done? 

In the review Micheal says 'Atkinson's Inequality is based on sound analysis with a social purpose. His 15 proposals would not harm prosperity but would give us a fairer, less unequal society with better health and lower crime rates. Worth discussing?'

And, 'Katharine Round's film The Divide is inspired by The Spirit Level. It provides texture to the book's arguments in the lives of people at the ends of the economic spectrum... The Divide features a young woman analyst who works in the financial sector who calls extreme wealth “f**k you” money—you have enough so that you feel you can disregard anybody. As she tells us, debt is what people need to manage their lives. For Wall Street, it is just a product to be bought and sold and make a profit.'

Read more about the film

Watch the trailer of the film

Read more about the book

Michael Marmot visits PAHO representatives and the Suriname First Lady, to discuss Health in All Policies and the Social Determinants of Health

The government of Suriname has taken on board the importance of social determinants of health and action through, Health in All Policies (HIAP). Michael Marmot recently visited sovereign state on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America, at the invitation of PAHO (Pan American Health Organization). 

Read a bit about what happened in his recent blog post 'Harmony and Action in the Caribbean'

Professor Sir Michael Marmot Sworn in as President of the World Medical Association 

As the latest president of the World Medical Association, Professor Sir Michael Marmot has urged world physicians to speak up about health inequity.

Read his full inaugural speech

The Few and the Many

October 9 2015

Essay published by Julian Baggini in the Financial Times, referencing Michael Marmot and mentioning his book 'The Health Gap'.

The full essay is available to view by online subscribers to the paper, and was also in print.

Health Gap Reviewed by Henry Marsh of New Statesman

Read the full article online: 'The politics of health: a clear-eyed account of inequality and the NHS'

Michael Marmot is interviewed by Australia's ABC, in line with the Australian release of The Health Gap. 

The Worldwide Health Gap

Martin Colvin of ABC reports interviews Michael Marmot and discussed the global problem of Health Inequlity, and how we should address it.

Listen to the full report via ABC.NET

Michael Marmot Quoted in New Scientist Article

A quote from Michael Marmot was included in this interesting New Scientist article: 'World Health Organization wants to know how happy we are'.

The article discusses new ideas for measuring health and wellbeing across 53 European countries.

"The WHO is not abandoning traditional indicators of health. But by looking at how culture impacts health, it may be possible to make further improvements.

Other researchers applaud the WHO’s objectives, but warn they won’t be easily met.

“Measuring subjective well-being in 53 countries is challenging because of cultural variation, but potentially adds a new and different dimension to monitoring,” says Michael Marmot of University College London’s Institute of Health Equity. “We should be wary, though, of lumping ‘health’ and ‘well-being’ together, as their determinants overlap but are not identical.”

See the IHE's WHO Eurpean Review and related documents here.

A Game Changing New Book from Michael Marmot - Available Now - Sept 15

There are dramatic differences in health between countries and within countries. But this is not a simple matter of rich and poor. A poor man in Glasgow is rich compared to the average Indian, but the Glaswegian's life expectancy is 8 years shorter....

Health inequalities defy usual explanations. Conventional approaches to improving health have emphasised access to technical solutions – improved medical care, sanitation, and control of disease vectors; or behaviours – smoking, drinking – obesity, linked to diabetes, heart disease and cancer. These approaches only go so far. Creating the conditions for people to lead flourishing lives, and thus empowering individuals and communities, is key to reduction of health inequalities. 

Michael Marmot addresses these health inequalities in his new book, 'Health Gap: The Challenge of an Unequal World' and demonstrates ways to make them smaller. The new evidence he offers is compelling. It has the potential to change radically the way we think about health, and indeed society.

Buy the book and read more… 

Also read about Michael Marmot's first book: 'The Status Syndrome'.

And see a round-up of related news coverage. 

The book has also received a number of reviews, including this one from Charlie Cooper of 
the Independent.

Register to attend this event - Health Gap: A Conversation 30 Sept 6-8pm

Richard Horton, Editor of the Lancet will be in conversation with Michael Marmot about his new book. Professor Michael Arthur, UCL President and Provost will be in the chair.

The resources include four new papers produced by the IHE, alongside a series of written and video stories, which encourage local action on health inequalities.

These resources will provide councils and local partners with evidence and examples of approaches that can be taken to reduce inequalities in their area.

The papers cover four topics and the full series can be found below:

1a Social Value Full: Using the Social Value Act to reduce health inequalities in England through action on the social determinants of health

1b Social Value Briefing: Using the Social Value Act to reduce health inequalities in England through action on the social determinants of health

2a Promoting Good Quality Jobs Full: Promoting good quality jobs to reduce health inequalities

2b Promoting Good Quality Jobs Briefing: Promoting good quality jobs to reduce health inequalities

3a Reducing Social Isolation Full: Reducing social isolation across the lifecourse

3b Reducing Social Isolation Briefing: Reducing social isolation across the lifecourse

4a Health Literacy Full: Improving health literacy to reduce health inequalities

4b Health Literacy Briefing: Improving health literacy to reduce health inequalities

Three Trailblazing Fire Services Awarded 'Marmot Partnership Status'

In line with The Health Gap book launch this month a number of related events were held, including a Masterclass at Mersey Fire and Rescue Service, where Professor Marmot officially recognised the work of Merseyside, Cheshire and West Midlands Fire Services.

The three trailblazing services were awarded 'Marmot Partnership Status', following their works to identify and help the most vulnerable people, to reduce health inequalities.

The event was attended by over 80 health professionals, and other practitioners from around the North West region. 

In the News

The work of Sir Michael Marmot and the Institute has been cited in a number of articles of late.

Here's a round-up:

• Cost Of Living Blog - Neoliberal epidemics: the spread of austerity, obesity, stress and inequality, by Ted Schrecker and Clare Bambra, Aug 28, 2015
• HSJ -New care models: To keep up, the NHS must shift focus in three ways by Victor Adebowale, Henry Kippin, Sarah Billiald. Aug 24, 2015
• Prospect Magazine - Mind the generation gap? - The Inequality Piketty Ignores, by David Willett, Aug 20, 2015
• New Start Magazine - A Healthy Economy, by  Marvin Rees, Aug 19, 2015

A Suite of Reports Produced for the Department of Health

• Social Inequalities in the Leading Causes of Early Death - A Life Course Approach
• The Impact of Adverse Experiences in the Home on the Health of Children and Young People, and Inequalities in Prevalence and Effects
• Improving School Transitions For Health Equity

Michael Marmot New Blog Post: 'One in every 13 Zambian children does not survive to their fifth birthday; in Iceland it is one in 500.'

Michael Marmot visited Zambia (July15) to discuss the role of the Government and theZambian Medical Association in addressing social determinants of health and increasing health equity in Zambia.

Of a population of 14.5 million Zambians, 2 million have no access to sanitation facilities. Practicing medicine under these circumstances is a challenge – not least because of shortage of human resources for health.

Here you will find Michael's newest inspired blog post, about the people he meets and the places he experiences on his travels.

We can do better in building society

Michael Marmot has reviewed William Hutton's new book, at The Lancet.  

"In his book 'How Good We Can Be', he writes with passion, controlled anger, and a good deal of evidence about the ills that beset British society in the second decade of this century. In his view, the UK has become a laboratory for a libertarian antisocial justice experiment based on neoliberal economics."

Read the full online article...

See the article in print...

English Devolution: Local Solutions For a Healthy Nation

'OPPORTUNITY TO TACKLE HEALTH INEQUALITIES SHOULD NOT BE WASTED' - Dr Jessica Allen's article in this document, in which The Local Government Association is calling for more devolution to local areas, which can bring economic, political and social benefits to communities across the country.

This publication was commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) to capture the thoughts of councillors, directors of public health, providers, commissioners, academics and other key opinion formers on the challenges and opportunities Devolution could bring in terms of improving the public’s health.

Professor Sir Michael Marmot addresses Yale School of Public Health 2015

Read his most recent blog post, all about the occasion: Celebrating Scholoraship, and watch the address in full, below.

New Blog Post from Michael Marmot:  Taking Tea with Bernie

Professor Michael Marmot meets Dr Bernard Lown as Harvard visiting professor.

Bringing SDH to Tehran and Iran to SDH

A three hat trick. Michael visits Iran to help put social determinants of health firmly on Tehran's agenda. Read in full.

Lancet Perspectives: What kind of society do we want: getting the balance right - An essay by Sir Michael Marmot

Sir Michael Marmot has written a brand new essay, published recently by the Lancet. Here's a summary:

Laissez-faire is part of “the air we still breathe”, wrote John Maynard Keynes in 1926. “We do not dance even yet to a new tune.” Conservative individualism of 18th-century luminaries such as David Hume, conveniently underpinned by the supposed free market economics of Adam Smith, led to the view that enlightened self-interest operates in the public interest. Hence, leave things to the market. This idea appealed to businessmen, it seemed to have delivered prosperity, said Keynes, but unfortunately it was wrong: self-interest was not generally enlightened and can lead to great inequality, impairment of efficiency, and unemployment.

Read in full at Lancet Perspectives.

How to make the Social Determinants of Health Matter: An Interview with Sir Michael Marmot

In March 2015 the Institue co-hosted a global symposium on The Role of Physicians and National Medical Associations in Addressing Health Equity and the Social Determinants of Health.

The meeting was attended by over 140 delegates and generated inspiring discussions on how to translate our ideas into actions. During the event Dr Ryan Meili took the opportunity to interview Sir Michael Marmot.

You can read the interview in full at www.thinkupstream.net - the digital home of Upstream, a movement in Canada initiated by Dr Meili to create a healthy society through evidence-based, people-centred ideas. 'Upstream seeks to reframe public discourse around addressing the social determinants of health in order to build a healthier society'.

GLOBAL SYMPOSIUM: THE ROLE OF PHYSICIANS AND NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATIONS IN ADDRESSING THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AND HEALTH EQUITY 

24th-25th March 15

Download the Agenda, and the Speakers Biographies and review the live discussion on Twitter #Doctors4HealthEquity 

You can also view speakers' presentations at our dedicated symposium web page, where you'll also find related documents.

DRIVERS publishes reports on early child development, employment & working conditions, and income & social protection

Three important reports have been published by the DRIVERS project, including one by the UCL Institute of Health Equity.

They detail the scientific work carried out by teams at University College London/UCL Institute of Health Equity, the Department of Medical Sociology at Universität Düsseldorf, and the Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS) at Stockholms Universitet, on (respectively) early child development, employment & working conditions, and income & social protection.

The project's final recommendations were presented on 3 February 2015, at a conference held at the Residence Palace in Brussels.

Follow @MichaelMarmot

You can now follow Professor Sir Michael Marmot on Twitter, where you'll get regular insights into health equity and #SDOH, and where you'll see updates on exciting events planned for the Institue in 2015 @MichaelMarmot

Michael Marmot Elected as President-Elect of the World Medical Association

On the 11th October, Professor Sir Michael Marmot was selected as the next President-elect of the World Medical Association. His acceptance speech can be found on our 'speeches and videos' page.

Dr Angela Donkin Responds to Alarming New Data from Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Today JRF published alarming data that illustrate again an increase in the numbers of households not able to afford an acceptable standard of living. Of all the households studied, there has been an increase in those unable to afford an acceptable standard of living, from 21% in 2008/9, to 24.8 % in 20011/12, and now to 27.3% for this year.

Read our full response via this recent blog post.

IHE Article Was #1 'Most Read' on American Journal of Public Health Website 2014

In September 2014 Professor Sir Michael Marmot and Dr Jessica Allen wrote an article for the American Journal of Public Health. The editorial addressed the role of social conditions in influencing health and how to reduce health inequalities.

Published online the article has now had alomost 6,000 reads, and we are pleased to announce that it was their #1 most viewed article in 2014.

The full article, 'Social Determinants of Health Equity', can be found on the American Journal of Public Health website.

Natural Solutions to Tackling Health Inequalities 

‘Natural Solutions to Tackling Health Inequalities’ report highlights the  evidence of the benefits of green spaces to health and wellbeing outcomes and the inequalities in use of, and access to, natural environments across England.

These inequalities  contribute to health inequalities. The report also proposes ways to improve access and use of green space, in order to improve health equity. 

In the light of this evidence it important  to see the large variations between local authorities in the proportion of people using greenspace for health and exercise.  These were reported by the Institute of Health Equity in September 2014 and found on the report page.

Together this information presents real challenges for practitioners, academics and policy makers from across the health and environment sectors, at both national and local levels, to better utilise the natural environment to help tackle health inequality.

Marmot Indicators 2014 - New Data Released

The Marmot Indicators are a new set of indicators of the social determinants of health, health outcomes and social inequality, that broadly correspond to the policy recommendations proposed in Fair Society, Healthy Lives. These 2014 indicators can be accessed in a spine chart format, which displays data for a range of social determinants, for each upper tier local authority in England.

To read more about the indicators and access the data, please see our Marmot Indicators 2014 project page.

Local Action on Health Inequalities - Suite of reports published

IHE was recently commissioned by Public Health England to write a suite of reports on how local areas can take action on health inequalities. These cover key Social Determinants of Health Areas.

More information, including links to all of the documents, can be found on our 'Local Action on Health Inequalities' report page.

Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity, is interviewed by Kirsty Young for Desert Island Discs.

The full programme is available to listen on the BBC iplayer website.

Social Determinants of Mental Health

The IHE has written a report on the Social Determinants of Mental Health, published by WHO and the Gulbenkian Foundation. This report covers the links between social inequalities and mental health, and how action to improve the conditions in which people live can reduce the risk of those mental disorders that are associated with social inequalities. It also proposes principles for action and highlights some effective actions at both community and country level.

The full report is available on the Social Determinants of Mental Health Report Page.

Summer School on Social Determinants of Health 2014

IHE will be participating in the UCL summer school on social determinants of health. More information, including the programme and how to book a place, are available on the summer school website.

Measuring What Matters: A Guide for Children's Centres

The report 'Measuring What Matters' was published on the 17th March 2014, and builds on the report 'An Equal Start'. Measuring What Matters distills the evidence and utilises field studies in order to provide advice on the best suite of measures available in order to measure children's outcomes in children's centres.

Indicator Set: The impact of the economic downturn and policy changes on health inequalities in London

IHE have developed a set of indicators in order to measure the impact of the recession and welfare reforms in London, available on the indicator set report page. We have also produced a short document of key messages from the report.

This work, conducted by the IHE for the London Health Inequalities Network, complements our report, published in 2012, 'The Impact of the Economic Downturn and Policy Changes on Health Inequalities in London'.

Health Inequalities in the EU

This review was commissioned by the European Commission (EC), with the aim of producing a report on current health inequalities within and between countries in the EU and the actions being taken to combat them by the EC and its member states. The report was prepared by IHE in partnership with APHO, HAPI and Eurohealthnet.

The report:
i. documents and reviews the health inequalities situation in the EU including recent trends.
ii. documents and reviews the policy response to health inequalities at EU, national and, where relevant, sub-national levels.
iii. provides an analysis and commentary including implications and suggestions for possible future actions.

The full report is available on the EU report page, and there is also a press release and a Guardian article on the cost of Health Inequalities.

Review of Social Determinants and the Health Divide in the WHO European Region

The WHO Regional Office for Europe commissioned this review of social determinants of health and the health divide to identify actions needed to address health inequities within and between countries across the 53 Member States of the European Region.

This review was carried out by a cross-disciplinary consortium of Europe’s leading experts, chaired by Sir Michael Marmot and supported by a joint secretariat from the Institute and the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

The final report was published on the 30th October 2013. The executive summary is available along with press releases and other documents on the WHO European Review project page.

Working for Health Equity: The Role of Health Professionals

IHE have produced a report and are launching a programme of work on what health professionals can do to tackle health inequalities. This report and programme has received contributions and commitments from 19 royal colleges and other organisations.

The full report and executive summary are available on this page.

An Equal Start: Improving Outcomes in Children's Centres

Today the IHE is launching an outcomes framework for children's centres, which calls for a renewed focus on supporting good parenting and the environment in which parents live and work. It builds on existing frameworks and draws the best available evidence of what is important in early years, the views of practitioners and parents, and the work that government continues to take forward around the early years.

Both the executive summary (which includes the outcomes framework), and the full evidence review, are available to download here.

The press release is available here.

Action Needed to Reduce Impact on Health Inequalities from Recession and Welfare Changes

The UCL Institute of Health Equity is calling for action by local and national government to reduce a potential increase of health inequalities in London as a result of the economic downturn and welfare changes.

To find out more, please read our report, ‘The impact of the economic downturn and the welfare reforms on health inequalities in London’.

There is also a press release available here.

'Two Years On' Data

To mark the two year anniversary since The Marmot Review ('Fair Society, Healthy Lives') was published, on the 15th of February we released new data on key health inequalities indicators at local authority level.

To find out more, please read:

- The press release, including key figures and main findings.

- A blog by Michael Marmot about the data and it's implications.

- Press coverage of the data in national and local newspapers and websites.

- A powerpoint presentation on the key findings.

Or to see the data in more detail, go to the the LHO website.

The Institute of Health Equity

We are very pleased to announce the establishment of the UCL Institute of Health Equity. This will build on previous work to tackle inequalities in health led by Professor Sir Michael Marmot and his team, including the ‘Commission on Social Determinants of Health’ and ‘Fair Society Healthy Lives’ (The Marmot Review).

The new Institute receives support from the Department of Health, UCL and the BMA. It will seek to increase health equity through action on the social determinants of health, specifically in four areas: by influencing global, national and local policies; by advising on and learning from practice; by building the evidence base, and; by developing capacity.

Current work includes leadership of a review of Social Determinants of Health and the Health Divide for the WHO European Regional Office, EU Reviews  and a programme of work in England to develop and embed social determinants approach to health inequalities in the health system and beyond.  Please see the 'Institute work' section for more details on the work the Institute is currently undertaking.

Celebrations and health equity in Ghent 

Video marking Prof Sir Michael Marmot's receipt of an honorary doctorate from Ghent University: http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/videozone_ENG/1.2606385

Read the accompanying blog post by Michael Marmot.