A Message from Dr Fraser Quin
8th Aug, 2022
Message from the ED.
As we get closer to the conference in London this September, it’s been tremendously exciting to get to know some of the speakers and to appreciate the work they are doing in the Lifestyle Medicine field locally.
As you know, the theme of the conference is around community engagement, and we are delighted that our hosts, Tottenham Hotspurs, have introduced us to their Foundation CEO Sarah Ebanja, who will be talking to us about the role of the Foundation, community engagement, and working in partnership with the NHS. Sarah told us that the TH Foundation covers 4 Boroughs of 1 million people, encompassing multi language, religion, culture, economic and social needs. Working on such a huge scale brings huge challenges, and Sarah and her team will showcase some of their projects and ways for breaking down engagement barriers. I’m sure you will be interested to hear Sarah speaking, Friday afternoon in the NFL home locker room.
There is no doubt that socio-economic, education, and postcode factors, all contribute to levels of engagement with the NHS within and between communities. There will also be a discussion around sugar “taxes” or levies, and how effective they might be in changing behaviour in consumption and production of high sugar foods. There is an excellent session, therefore, on Food Policy and Health, with an opportunity for members to quiz Tim Spector, Jo Bibby, Mark Littlewood and Samantra Ray on the impact of such policy measures as taxation. However, we know that “punitive” taxes always penalise the less well off in society, including those cohorts that do not readily engage around their own health, let alone Lifestyle Medicine. We will be conducting a poll at the end of the Food Policy and Health session via the App, so it will be fascinating to see what the membership feels about the introduction of so-called punishment taxes.
The conference programme this year once again provides a diverse range of views and approaches to Lifestyle Medicine, with some thought provoking and potentially challenging presentations on offer. We are all looking forward to welcoming you to THS in September, and if last year in Edinburgh is anything to go by, it will be a vibrant and inclusive event for members, those new to Lifestyle Medicine, and friends old and new.
See you in September.
Fraser Quin
Executive Director.
Dr Fraser Quin,
BSLM Executive Director