David Pencheon, January 2013

David Pencheon is a UK trained doctor and is currently Director of the NHS Sustainable Development Unit (England) [NHS SDU].

The NHS SDU develops organizations, people, tools, and policy to help the NHS in England fulfill its potential as a leading sustainable and low carbon organizations.

The unit spreads the best evaluated practice on sustainable development, promotes an appropriate NHS response to climate change and develops programs of organizational and personal development in these areas for NHS organizations, staff, and partners.

The NHS Sustainable Development Unit is run under the auspices of the chief executives of the NHS Strategic Health Authorities in England. It is hosted by the Strategic Health Authority in the East of England in Fulbourn, Cambridge. The Accountability of the Unit is through the NHS Midlands and East, chief executive, Sir Neil McKay and to the chief executive of the NHS in England, Sir David Nicholson.

David Pencheon was previously Director of a Public Health Observatory in Cambridge from 2001 to 2007. He has worked as a clinical doctor in the NHS, a joint Director of Public Health, a Public Health Training Program Director in the East of England, with the NHS R&D program, and in China in the early 1990s with Save the Children Fund (UK).

His main interests and areas of research and publication are: sustainable development, large scale transformational change, health and climate change, underpinning action and policy with good information and evidence, training and professional development, organizational development, medical informatics and decision support for health professionals.

He was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honors List 2012 for services to public health and the NHS.