Dame Sally Davies GCB FMedSci FRS

Sally Davies is a former Chief Medical Officer for England — the first woman to hold this post — and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health. As a clinician with a background in research, she strives to achieve both a patient-focused and evidence-based approach to health-related policy making.


Her efforts to strengthen the links between clinical medicine and research include the successful establishment of the National Institute for Health Research in 2006, which has transformed the NHS’s approach to clinical and applied research in the UK.


In addition to her advisory role to the UK government, Sally is a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board and sat on the WHO Advisory Committee on Health Research from 2000–2012. She was awarded a DBE for services to medicine in 2009, and in 2013 she was named the sixth most powerful woman in the UK by BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour.

Professional position

  • Master, Trinity College, University of Cambridge

Subject groups

  • Health and Human Sciences

    Medicine, clinical studies

Dame Sally Davies GCB FMedSci FRS
Elected 2014
Committees Participated Role
Nominations Committee January 2021 - December 2024 Member
Sectional Committee 10: Health and human sciences November 2020 - October 2023 Member