Professor Kevin Fenton

Kevin became the Regional Director for London in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) within the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in October 2021, having previously held the same position within Public Health England (PHE) from April 2020 until its functions transferred to OHID. As Regional Director for London, Kevin will fulfil the role of the Mayor of London’s public health advisor, provide leadership for health, prevention of ill health, health protection and reduction of health inequalities in the capital.

Kevin has worked in a variety of public health roles across government and academia. Before taking up the London regional director role, Kevin held a joint position as Strategic Director of Place and Well-being and Director of Public Health (DPH) at London Borough of Southwark, and Senior Advisor, PHE. As Southwark’s Strategic Director for Place and Well-being he led the council’s planning, regeneration, community engagement and public health portfolios driving inclusive regeneration, asset-based community development and promoting health in all policies. As the DPH he led the Council’s public health programmes and worked across the Council and NHS to promote health in all policies, social regeneration and digital public health. He is PHE’s senior advisor for HIV, sexual and reproductive health and provides strategic advice on PHE’s health improvement programmes.

Professor Fenton was previously PHE’s National Director for Health and Well-being and led PHE’s national prevention programmes including screening for cancer and other conditions, Health Checks, public mental health, e-cigarette tobacco harm reduction, sexual and reproductive health, and a range of well-being programmes for infants, youth, adults and older adults. He also established and led PHE’s health equity portfolio with a range of programmes and activities focused on addressing the social determinants of health and promoting place-based approaches to health improvement.

Between 2005-2012, Professor Fenton was the Director of the National Centre for HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, STD, and TB prevention, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He also served as chief of CDC’s National Syphilis Elimination Effort and has worked in research, epidemiology, and the prevention of HIV and other STDs since 1995. Previously he was the director of the HIV and STI Department at the United Kingdom’s Health Protection Agency.