Professor Martin McKee stands as a preeminent authority in European public health with decades of influential contributions to the field. He serves as Professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where he has developed a major research programme on health and health care in Europe since his appointment in 1990. Professor McKee trained as a physician at The Queen's University of Belfast, qualifying in 1979, and specialized in internal medicine at Belfast City Hospital and Royal Victoria Hospital before transitioning to public health. Martin McKee serves as Medical Director at LSHTM with responsibility for clinical aspects of contracts and medical regulation, and previously as President of the European Public Health Association from 2014 to 2016.
Professor McKee is internationally renowned for his groundbreaking research on the health effects of the collapse of the Soviet bloc, European law and health policy, and the health consequences of financial crises across the continent. His scholarly output of over 1,300 scientific papers and 50 books has fundamentally reshaped understanding of health transitions in post-communist societies and the impact of European integration on health systems. As founding Director of the European Centre on Health of Societies in Transition and Research Director of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, he has created essential frameworks for analyzing health policy across the WHO European Region. His work has been instrumental in establishing critical connections between political transitions, economic policies, and population health outcomes, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. This extensive body of research has positioned him as the preeminent authority on European health systems and their evolution through periods of significant societal change.
Beyond his research contributions, Professor McKee has profoundly shaped global health governance through leadership roles including his presidency of the British Medical Association in 2022/23 and former chairmanship of WHO's European Advisory Committee on Health Research. His exceptional contributions have been recognized through election to the US National Academy of Medicine and UK Academy of Medical Sciences, alongside numerous international awards including the prestigious Andrija Stampar medal and Alwyn Smith prize. Professor McKee continues to influence policy discourse through ongoing advisory roles with governments and international organizations, leveraging his expertise to address contemporary health challenges. His current work focuses on strengthening European health systems amid geopolitical changes and global health threats, ensuring his continued relevance in shaping public health responses to emerging 21st century challenges.
