Public Health Director announces retirement

Professor Eugene Milne, Director of Public Health at Newcastle City Council since 2014, has confirmed he will step down from the role this April. 

He said: “The past eight years as Newcastle’s Director of Public Health have been the best, and most challenging, of my career.

“When I arrived in Newcastle as a medical student in 1979, I did not envisage that I would still be here all these years later. But after the variety of roles I’ve had, the relationships I’ve built, and the privilege of working for Newcastle and the North East, it now feels like the right time to step back.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has been the most extraordinary period in my career, and difficult as it has been, it has been an honour to be a part of the response, working with some remarkable people in the council, at partner organisations, and in the community.

“This has been an incredibly tough time for everyone, but through it all there has been some outstanding work. The council has responded magnificently, and I believe the foundations have been laid to change the way public health works as we tackle barriers to wellbeing and health faced by people in their daily lives.”

Eugene, 61, originally from Hull, first came to the North East as a student to study medicine at Newcastle University. 

His early career saw him working across the North East, and in Cambridge, in paediatric medicine, before he joined the children’s cancer unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary. 

He switched to public health in 1990 and became a consultant in 1994, working for Newcastle and North Tyneside Health Authorities, subsequently becoming Deputy Regional Director of Public Health for the North East. He played a leading role in establishing the award-winning and internationally celebrated Fresh in 2005, the UK’s first dedicated regional tobacco control programme.

He joined the newly formed Public Health England in 2013 at a national level but continued to live in Newcastle and jumped at the chance to return professionally as DPH a year later.
 
Eugene continues to work with a number of different organisations and has authored several dozen papers and editorials. Alongside his main work in public health, Eugene has co-edited the Journal of Public Health, was appointed to the national Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation, has a longstanding involvement with the National Institute for Health Research, and has twice been elected to the board of the Association of Directors of Public Health.

He had originally planned to retire last year but carried on in support of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pam Smith, Chief Executive of Newcastle City Council, said: “Held in high esteem among his peers and colleagues past and present, Eugene has led a distinguished career making a difference to people’s lives, whether that has been through his years of research, in clinical positions, or more recently in public health.

“Eugene’s value to our city and his contributions to his field have been appreciated and respected for many years. During the pandemic, however, he has been thrown into the regional and national spotlight as his experience and authority made him among the most reliable sources of information and advice for his colleagues, the wider city, and the media.

“His career is far more than just the Covid response, but his experience, knowledge, and leadership during this time has been remarkable. He was key in delivering the Integrated Covid hub, he has fought to tackle inequalities laid bare by the pandemic, he’s made sure our vulnerable residents have had support available to them during the most difficult times, and he’s lobbied Government departments in the interests of our communities.

“On behalf of the council and the city, I would like to thank Eugene for his commitment and dedication over the years and wish him a lengthy and happy retirement.”

Eugene’s successor as Director of Public Health for Newcastle will be confirmed following a recruitment process. Lorna Smith, Deputy Director of Public Health, will assume the role of Interim Director during this process.