Faculty News

Professor Sir Chris Whitty delivers keynote at FMLM's 2023 Keogh Lecture

FMLM’s fifth annual Keogh Lecture is now available to watch online following a successful in-person event at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London on July 12, 2023. The lecture was delivered by England’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Professor Sir Chris Whitty, who also serves as Chief Scientific Advisor at the Department of Health and Social Care and Head of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

The National Medical Director of NHS England, Professor Stephen Powis, was honoured to introduce Professor Chris Whitty, whose lecture theme was ‘Leading through future healthcare challenges’. The lecture explored the trends that will affect the nation’s health and the healthcare landscape over the coming decades. Professor Whitty began by talking about ‘change’ from a human perspective and how we view change in science, economic and societal realms. His sentiments covered both the predictable and unpredictable drivers of change and how we can learn from the past to prepare for the future. 

He continued speaking in detail about the demographics of the UK, the increasing population and the challenges and impact this will have on the healthcare system. By delving into the many leadership challenges that are at play today, he stated, “No matter what an individual specialises in, it is important to maintain generalist skills, multimorbidity means we must lead colleagues to maintain this.” 

We were also pleased to welcome Sir Bruce Keogh, and his wife to the event, whom the lecture is named after. Sir Bruce is a tireless supporter of the FMLM National Medical Director’s Clinical Fellow Scheme (NMD CFS) and delivered the inaugural lecture in 2018. 

The vibrant and engaged audience included recently graduated Clinical Fellows, FMLM members and Fellows, who were thrilled to have the rare opportunity to hear from Professor Whitty himself. The talk was a great insight into healthcare leadership and the inevitable challenges to come. The Keogh Lecture was followed by an engaging Q&A session led by the Professor, welcoming questions from the audience.  

On behalf of FMLM members, I would like to express our gratitude to Professor Sir Chris Witty for his exceptional lecture. As a distinguished medical leader, hearing his insights on the future of healthcare and the crucial importance of clinical leadership and multidisciplinary teams was fascinating. -Professor Sir Mayur Lakhani CBE, Chair of FMLM Board. 

If you’re a member of the FMLM and missed the in-person event, you can watch the full Keogh Lecture 2023 on our website.  

The 2023 lecture followed the annual national and regional Clinical Fellow Scheme graduation event, hosted by Dr Dal Hothi, FMLM’s Director of Leadership Development and Education, which was attended by more than 80 graduating clinical fellows, scheme sponsors and hosts, in the presence of Professor Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director for NHS England, and Professor Sir Bruce Keogh.