John Ashton (public health director)

rdf:langString John Ashton (public health director)

rdf:langString John Ashton CBE (born 27 May 1947 in Liverpool, England) is a British doctor and academic. Ashton previously held positions at the University of Southampton, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Liverpool School of Medicine and as Regional Director of Public Health for North-West England for 13 years. He was one of the initiators of the World Health Organization's Healthy Cities Project from 1986 to 1988 during which time it went from being a European project to a global movement and a pioneer of three public health initiatives. Although a member of the Labour Party, Ashton has criticised both Labour Party and Conservative Party health reforms from an anti-Market perspective. In February 2012, the Government response to his criticism of the Health and Social Care Bill 2011 which he says "will totally dismantle the NHS" was raised in Parliament. In January 2011, he was appointed a trustee of the National Museums Liverpool, and, in November 2012, he was elected as president from 2013 to 2016 of the Faculty of Public Health In September 2014, Ashton took voluntary leave of absence following his use of "inappropriate and offensive language" on Twitter for which both Ashton and the FPH apologised. On 26 September, the board said it had given advice to Ashton and were looking forward to his continuing his role in office. In October 2021 he was shortlisted for the position of chair of the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Although he was highest scoring candidate the board decided not to appoint anyone.