Jennifer Dixon | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Chief Executive of The Health Foundation |
Dame Jennifer Dixon is the chief executive of the Health Foundation, a large independent charity in the United Kingdom. [1] [2] Her work has been recognised by national and international bodies for her significant impact in driving national health policy making.
Dixon holds a degree in medicine from the University of Bristol, and a Masters in public health and a PhD in health services research both from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Dixon trained and practised paediatric medicine before moving into public health and policy in 1990. [3] [4] [2] Dixon was awarded a Harkness Fellowship in health policy in 1990 by the Commonwealth Fund in the US, spending a year in New York City. [5] Her analyses on rationing in Oregon and relevance to the NHS were published in the Lancet [6] and her series on US health reform published in the BMJ. [7] [8] [9]
She was policy advisor to the Chief Executive of the National Health Service between 1998 and 2000, [10] Director of Policy at the King's Fund until 2008. [11] [1] At the King's Fund she authored key analyses including on the role of the market in the NHS, [12] [13] regulation in health care, [14] improving chronic disease management [15] and funding levels in the NHS. [16] [17] [18] [19] She led the development of the nationally adopted quantitative risk stratification tool (Patients at Risk of Re-hospitalisation (PARR) tool) for primary care. [20] [21]
Dixon was then appointed as Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust from 2008 to 2013, [22] [23] completely revitalising the organisation and its influence in health policy. Dixon led a team redesigning the NHS resource allocation formula across England for the Department of Health, and which was adopted. [24] She also led a national review for the Secretary of State, Jeremy Hunt, on whether to introduce ratings for NHS and social care providers. [25] Her recommendations were all accepted and enacted.
In 2013 she became Chief Executive of the Health Foundation. Under her leadership, the Health Foundation has grown in size, influence and profile. For example, the Foundation contributed analysis leading to a decision by the UK Government to invest an additional £20 billion in the National Health Service (NHS) in 2018. [26] The Foundation commissioned and published several national inquiries for example on the health of young people (2019), [27] on health inequalities across England (2020), [28] on the health impacts on the population of the COVID pandemic (2021), [29] on how to improve the health of people in work (2025). [30] A national commission on improving NHS productivity is ongoing. [31] She co-founded in 2017 a new European fellowship programme for health leaders – Sciana – with Bosch Stiftung (Berlin), and Careum Stiftung (Switzerland). [32] Dixon was pivotal in establishing a £42m grant to found the innovative The Health Improvement Studies (THIS) Institute in 2016, based at Cambridge University, led by Professor Mary Dixon Woods, and its subsequent spin out THISLabs. [33]
As a renowned health policy expert, she is a regular speaker at national and international events. She regularly writes for national newspapers such as The Guardian, [34] [35] [36] Financial Times [37] [38] and Prospect Magazine [39] and is a regular on major current affairs and news programmes such as the BBC [40] and Channel 4 news. [41] Dixon hosts a monthly podcast in health policy [42] and also regularly gives evidence at House of Commons and Lords Select Committees and parliamentary seminars. [43] [44] She has been a member of numerous commissions and inquiries, most recently the Pissaridies Review on The Future of Work and Wellbeing [45] and the influential Pathways to Work Commission, chaired by former Secretary of State for Health Alan Milburn. [46]
Dixon was a trustee of the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) (2011-2016), [47] and has served on the board of the UK's Care Quality Commission (CQC) (2013-2016), [48] the UK's Audit Commission (2003-2012), [49] the UK's Healthcare Commission (2004-2009) [50] and the UK Health Security Agency (2022–2024). [51]
Dixon led a national enquiry for the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, on whether to introduce quality rating of NHS and social care providers in England (2013) [52] [53] and later another enquiry about ratings for general practices (2015). [54] She was also a member of the Parliamentary Review Panel for the Welsh Assembly Government advising on the future strategy for the NHS and social care in Wales (2016–2018). [55]
She has also held visiting professorships at The London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE), [56] Imperial College London [1] and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) [57] and co-authored two books on the NHS. [58] [59]
Dixon was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to public health [60] and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to the National Health Service and public health. [61]
Dixon is an exhibited artist (known as Jennifer Vorhaus). Her COVID wire lungs featured in the Royal Academy of Arts’ Summer Exhibition in 2021. [64]