Speakers

Isabel is a public health physician and epidemiologist who is dedicated to securing better health outcomes for all.  

Isabel has left the post of Director General of Science and Research and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at the UK Health Security Agency to take the Welsh CMO post. 

As UKHSA CSO, Isabel led the Science Group of the organisation and was accountable for the range of health security functions and services delivered by the group including microbiology and infectious diseases laboratories, protection from radiation, chemicals and environmental hazards including climate change and behavioural sciences. The group comprised approximately 2,500 staff in 4 directorates. Isabel was responsible for UKHSA’s three scientific campuses at Colindale in London, Porton Down in Wiltshire, and Chilton in Oxfordshire as well as a network of regional laboratories providing NHS and public health services. Isabel the science strategy and scientific profession of UKHSA developing partnerships with industry, academia and public sector organisations to secure health and prosperity.  In this role, Isabel also established a Centre for Climate and Health Security to protect health in the context of our changing climate and Centre for Vaccine Development and Evaluation and a Diagnostics Accelerator to ensure we have the diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics that we need to protect health from current and future threats.   

Isabel was responsible for knowledge, research and evaluation in UKHSA ensuring that the organisation has the evidence needed to protect health from all hazards. Her own academic interests include the evaluation of public health interventions and services and was co-director of the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit for Behavioural Sciences and Evaluation at the University of Bristol where she is an Honorary Professor. Isabel is also an Honorary Professor at the Centre for Global Health at University College London.  

Isabel started her career working in acute hospital medicine in the West Midlands and the South West of England.  After a few years, Isabel decided to pursue a career in public health to have a greater impact in improving and protecting health and reducing inequalities.  She led work to assess the prevalence of mental health problems in Somerset and ensure that health services met the needs of the population. Her first consultant posts were as regional epidemiologist and consultant in public health in the NHS South West Strategic Health Authority where Isabel was responsible for improving access to sexual health services and strengthening surveillance.   

Isabel became Regional Director for the Health Protection Agency in South West England in 2008, leading a transformation of local health protection services to ensure services of consistent high quality delivered efficiently and effectively.  

In 2013, Isabel moved to Public Health England where she established the Field Epidemiology Service for England, learning lessons from the influenza H1N1 pandemic. This service was critical in the response to COVID-19 in England, enabling surveillance and contact tracing in the country. In April 2020 she took up the post of Director of the National Infection Service of Public Health England leading the organisation’s work for the surveillance and control of all infectious diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic Isabel was also a senior clinical and public health adviser to NHS Test and Trace.  

Isabel was born in Madrid, Spain and relocated to the UK in 1992 for personal reasons.  In her free time Isabel enjoys running and growing organic vegetables in her allotment.