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Registration is now open for the Medical Journalists’ Association and Health Foundation Symposium 2025: Health inequality, policy and journalism

Top, l-r: Jennifer Dixon, Dave Finch, Tobi Thomas, Emma Wilkinson Bottom, l-r: Sally Gainsbury, Paul Bradshaw, Shaun Lintern

Health secretary Wes Streeting has made it clear that economic growth and the NHS are intertwined, but many questions remain about what that means for huge and growing inequalities. With the disbanding of NHS England to provide more money to the front line, benefits cuts, an increase in the public health grant, the rise in use of weight loss drugs, infectious disease outbreaks and and policy plans to focus more on prevention, inequality is an issue never far from the headlines.

These complex challenges are the focus of our fourth MJA Symposium, which will be held on Friday 25th April in partnership with The Health Foundation and feature some of the UK’s leading policy and journalism experts exploring health inequalities and how we report them. We have a packed agenda of newsworthy speakers bringing you their latest research and policy positions. The UK Health Security Agency, Nuffield Trust and Association of Directors of Public Health will be among those addressing the event. Experts from the Health Foundation will also be sharing their latest findings. We will hear from journalists about their work covering this topic including The Guardian’s Tobi Thomas who will talk about her investigations into disparities in maternity care.

See below for more details of the programme so far. Space will be limited so make sure you book now to secure your place.


Medical Journalists’ Association and Health Foundation Symposium 2025

Health inequality, policy and journalism

9.00 Registration and tea/coffee

9.30 Welcome and opening remarks Emma Wilkinson, Vice Chair MJA 

9.40 Welcome to the Health Foundation – remarks from Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive, Health Foundation

10.00 The economic argument for improving health and reducing inequalities Dave Finch, Assistant Director, The Health Foundation

10.30 ‘A national disgrace’: Investigating maternal inequality Tobi Thomas, Health Inequalities Reporter, The Guardian

11.00 Tea and coffee break

11.30 Should the NHS prioritise care based on inequalities? Sally Gainsbury, Senior Policy Analyst, Nuffield Trust

12.00 Covid-19 put inequalities in the spotlight but has anything really changed? Speaker to be confirmed

12.30 Association of Directors of Public Health

13.00 Lunch

13.45  Parallel workshop sessions

  • Using data to uncover inequality, Paul Bradshaw Birmingham City University
  • Reframing the debate Health Equals

14.30  Latest research

  • UKHSA
  • Health Foundation

15.15 Tea/coffee break

15.30 Panel discussion: Individual blame versus societal failure? Chaired by Shaun Lintern, Chair MJA

16.00  Drinks reception

Programme subject to change

The event will take place at the Health Foundation on Friday April 25 at the Health Foundation, 8 Salisbury Square, London, EC4Y 8AP.

Map and directions available here.


REGISTER HERE

MJA Symposium 2025

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If you are joining the MJA in order to attend the symposium, please ensure you complete our membership application form.
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Let us know if you have any specific access requirements so that we check our ability to meet your needs and advise you accordingly

Please complete the registration form to secure your place. You will also receive a confirmation email. If you don’t receive a confirmation email get in touch so that we can secure your place

 

With thanks to our awards sponsors DAUK for additional support

Rosalie Smith

Author Rosalie Smith

Medical Journalists' Association administrator

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