At the CIHT Lecture (held 18 September 2024) members of the Institution heard how transport can fix health.  

The lecture was given by Professor Scarlett McNally who qualified as a doctor in 1989 and has been a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in Eastbourne since 2002.

As the Faculty of Public Health recently highlighted, transport and spatial planning policies can be either a powerful tool to influence good health or a barrier to good health. 

In the lecture Professor McNally highlighted how issues around the detrimental impacts of inactivity on people's health and issues around health inequalities:  that poverty is strongly correlated with air pollution, noise and road collisions.

The lecture, however, provided a positive message overall :that transport and spatial planning can be powerful tools for improving the conditions that influence health. Active travel is beneficial for people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing. It increases physical activity and reduces the risk of numerous diseases.
 
More about Professor Scarlett McNally.

She is also an Honorary Clinical Professor at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and Deputy Director of the Centre for Perioperative Care – trying to improve preparation and pathways for people having surgery. Current President of the Medical Women’s Federation – women have different experiences. Previously an elected Council member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (2011-2021, the ninth woman ever). She has an MA in Clinical Education and an MBA in Health Service Management. BMJ columnist, with all articles free at: https://www.bmj.com/search/advanced/mcnally.

She was lead author for the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges’ Exercise the miracle cure, showing that exercise at 150 minutes per week reduces the risk of dementia, bowel cancer, diabetes and depression by 30%. Exercise also reduces the risks of complications after surgery. She advocates for more active travel to improve health and reduce pollution.

4th Dan Karate black belt, living with myeloma and cardiac amyloidosis, mother of four adult children. Multiple publications at www.scarlettmcnally.co.uk and Twitter @scarlettmcnally.

Image of Professor Scarlett McNally