Simon Howard Explained

Simon John Howard is a public health physician working in the North East of England. He has authored or co-authored a number of articles on public health in medical journals, and served as Public Health Registrar to Chief Medical Officer Sally Davies from 2013–2014, acting as Editor-in-Chief of the 2012 Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer.

Biography

Howard qualified as a medical doctor with the degree MBBS from Newcastle University in 2008. He was awarded an MSc in Public Health and Health Services Research from Newcastle University in 2011.^[1]

He has authored and co-authored articles which criticise current nutritional labelling practices in the UK,^[2] and on topics related to respiratory,^{[3] [4]} and ophthalmic health.^[5] From 2013–2014, Howard served as Public Health Registrar to Chief Medical Officer Sally Davies, and acted as Editor-in-Chief of the 2012 Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer.^{[6] [7]} He has contributed to or co-authored a number of other works with Davies.^{[8] [9]}

In 2012, Howard co-wrote a study in the British Medical Journal that compared the nutritional content of television chefs' recipes and supermarket meals. The study found that the chefs' meals were "less healthy" than ready-made supermarket meals.^[10] The article received considerable coverage in the news media,^{[11] [12] [13] [14]} while some scholars criticised the assumption that "health ought to prominently inform TV cooking."^{[15] [16]}

In 2010, Howard re-published a compilation of his political blog posts in a book titled Instant Opinion.^[17]

External links

• Biography on Simon Howard's blog

Notes and References

1. http://sjhoward.co.uk/aboutme/ Biography
2. 10.1136/bmj.i2430. Labelling food with the exercise needed to expend its calories may lack integrity when activity is summed over the course of a whole day . BMJ . 2016. Howard . Simon J . 353 . i2430. 27143626 . 28747899 .
3. 10.7717/peerj.2006. A cross-sectional questionnaire study of the rules governing pupils' carriage of inhalers for asthma treatment in secondary schools in North East England. PeerJ. 4. 2016. Funston . Wendy. Howard . Simon J. . e2006 . 27168999 . 4860314. free.
4. 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2015-207770.234. Uptake of the emergency salbutamol inhaler in North East England secondary schools following amendment of the Human Medicines Regulations. Thorax. 70. A124. 2015. Funston . W.. Howard . S.J. . A124.1–A124. free.
5. Web site: Verteporfin (Visudyne®) photo-dynamic therapy in the management of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy. Northern Treatment Advisory Group. 27 January 2015.
6. http://sjhoward.co.uk/aboutme/ Biography
7. Web site: Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer 2012. Department of Health. 22 January 2015.
8. Davies, SC (2013). The Drugs Don't Work. Penguin. .
9. 10.1136/bmj.g2375. 24677657. Chief medical officer urges action to tackle overweight and obesity. BMJ. 348. g2375. 2014. Howard . S. J.. Davies . S. C.. 6223248.
10. 10.1136/bmj.e7607. 23247976. 3524368. Nutritional content of supermarket ready meals and recipes by television chefs in the United Kingdom: Cross sectional study. BMJ. 345. e7607. 2012. Howard . S.. Adams . J.. White . M..
11. Web site: Ready meals 'healthier' than TV chefs' fare. BBC News. 22 January 2015.
12. Web site: TV chefs' recipes may be less healthy than ready meals, study finds. The Guardian. 22 January 2015.
13. Web site: Experts turn up heat on celebrity chef recipes. ABC News. 22 January 2015.
14. Web site: TV chef recipes 'less healthy than ready meals'. Metro. 22 January 2015.
15. 10.1136/bmj.f240. 23321731. Television chefs aim for taste and appeal, not health. BMJ. 346. f240. 2013. Penders . B.. 21121056.
16. Gard M and Pluim C (2014). Schools and Public Health. Lexington Books. .
17. Howard, SJ (2010). Instant Opinion. Lulu Press. .