Health

Expert Q&A: Henry Dimbleby on the hidden ways ultra-processed foods harm our health and why the government must act now

Franco Sassi — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:36:11 +0000

Expert Q&A: Henry Dimbleby on the hidden ways ultra-processed foods harm our health and why the government must act now

Franco Sassi Thu, 09/04/2026 - 12:36

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Ultra-processed foods and the danger they pose to human health are big news, with consumers increasingly aware of the negative impact UPFs have on their bodies. Linked to obesity, chronic disease and social isolation, these foods are affecting us in ways we don’t yet understand – and the UK is the most ultra-processed nation in Europe.

Here, Professor Franco Sassi from the School's Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation speaks to the UK's former food tsar and Leon co-founder about the country's broken food system and what needs to be done to save the nation's health.

**FS: In 2020, you published The National Food Strategy. How was this received – and do you feel the government is making use of your recommendations?**

HD: People often ask me, in a pitying tone, whether I really think politicians will act. Actually, they have, more than many expected. The junk food advertising restrictions are in, mandatory reporting on the healthiness of what companies sell is coming, and just last week [18 March 2026] the government published England's first ever Land Use Framework, something we recommended in the strategy and which could be genuinely groundbreaking for how we balance food production, housing and nature. So, real progress – but not yet at the scale or speed the problem demands.

FS: Both the media and public are highly responsive to discussions around UPFs and the effect they have on our health. Given this, why aren’t we seeing more action from the government?

HD: Because the politics are brutal. Dolly Van Tulleken [policy consultant and Visiting Researcher at Cambridge University's MRC Epidemiology Unit] and I interviewed three former prime ministers and ten former health secretaries for Nourishing Britain. They all described the same paralysis: any attempt to influence how people eat gets savaged as "nanny state", they are terrified that interventions to improve health will hit the economy, and the system is so complex that every lever has second-order effects. Politicians find it hard to act in those conditions.

FS: You have argued that one way to counter the impact of UPFs is for people to focus on whole foods and cooking from scratch. How can we encourage the public to change habits that are often built out of necessity, such as producing a quick family meal when parents are working?

HD: Several generations have grown up in households where nobody cooked, and the poorer you are the harder it gets: equipment, time, money. That's why in The School Food Plan we fought to make cooking compulsory in schools and why we set up Chefs in Schools.

It's not just about skills. Poverty narrows your bandwidth: stress, exhaustion, no margin for error. You can't afford to try a new recipe and have the kids refuse it. The poorest areas are food swamps, with twice as many fast food outlets and far fewer places to buy fresh ingredients. There are 1.9 million people in this country without a cooker.

FS: It’s estimated that around one in every four adults and around one in every five children aged 10–11 in the UK are living with obesity. Does the responsibility for this rest primarily with the government, the food industry or the general public?

HD: All three, but not equally. In 1950 less than one percent of the population was obese. We didn't all suddenly lose our willpower – the food system changed. Companies aren't cartoon villains, they're responding to incentives, but those incentives are the problem.

Several CEOs have told me privately they'd welcome legislation because they can't act alone. Until recently government was the only actor that could reset the rules. But now the pharmaceutical companies are getting involved.

FS: You have warned that unless the UK changes its relationship with UPFs, we’re in “real trouble as a society” – what is your biggest concern about the future of the nation’s health?

HD: That we fix obesity with drugs – which I think may happen – and think we've fixed everything. One in twenty UK adults is already on appetite suppressants. Obesity rates will come down.

But obesity is only the tip of the iceberg: poor diet harms us through effects on the gut, immune system and brain that have nothing to do with weight. We need to improve the quality of our food, not just reduce the quantity.

FS: What one fact would you like people to remember about UPFs?

HD: Over 50 percent of British calories come from ultra-processed food. In France and Italy, it's around 15 percent. We don't have to live this way.

FS: What role can business and science play in overcoming our addiction to UPFs?

HD: Science needs to keep tightening the causal story – policy and courts need more than vibes. Business needs to stop waiting for government. The winners will be companies that shift towards more of the good stuff: fibre, variety, real nutrition, and not just the "less bad".

FS: Is there any cause for optimism with regards to the future of the UK food industry?

HD: Yes. When I talk in schools, I like to scandalise the children by listing all the places you used to smoke – buses, trains, even the Tube. We could well look back at today's convenience aisles and think: wow, we used to eat that stuff.

Henry Dimbleby was a keynote speaker at Imperial Business School's UPF Forum, an event led by the Centre for Health Economics Policy & Innovation.

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Imperial Business School's Professor Franco Sassi interviews Leon co-founder Henry Dimbleby about the nation's relationship with UPFs and how to change it

Main image: Henry Dimbleby

5 minute read

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Alumni blog: From Imperial to the Workplace - My Career Journey So Far

Francesca Hoare — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:31:29 +0000

Alumni blog: From Imperial to the Workplace - My Career Journey So Far

Francesca Hoare Tue, 04/03/2025 - 09:31

4 March 2026 Alumni

Besnik Mustafa (Weekend MBA 2025)

After beginning his career at Finance Think, Besnik Mustafa went on to advise Members of Parliament in North Macedonia. He later joined Salience Consulting, gaining experience across multiple international markets.

27 February 2026 Alumni

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13 February 2026 Alumni

Alumni Careers: Helping Alumni Stay Visible and Valuable in the Age of Remote Work and AI

As the world of work continues to shift through the rise of remote working and rapid advances in AI, our careers consultants are increasingly supporting professionals who want to stay visible, valued, and strategically positioned.

12 November 2021

Alumni

In my last article, I gave you an overview of my time at Imperial, why I went to the Business School and how it helped me transition into the workplace. Here I’ll delve deeper into my decision to do more business-focused roles in science industries and how my time at Imperial influenced the choices I’ve made.

Exploring through internships

Whilst I was at Imperial, I was unsure what I wanted to do after graduating, so I experimented by doing several internships in very different areas. This included the charity sector, a social enterprise and a pharmaceutical company (GSK). I was pretty much taking a shot in the dark with each one to see what stuck! The first two were not science related at all, but gave me some experience in events and marketing. At GSK, I did a HR role, and was happy to work in a science-led organisation.

I also attended A LOT of careers fairs and talks, where I networked with many employers. Mostly, they were banks or consulting firms talking about science graduates going into these fields. But I also discovered some interesting potential paths that I had never heard about before. Some healthcare-based charities came and spoke about roles in Science Policy. A patent attorney gave a talk about intellectual property and patent law being an alternative career path for scientists. The more I spoke to people about these fields and did my own research, the more I discovered other fields like Science Communication, Science Education & Outreach, Life Sciences Consulting, Teaching, Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs, Business Operations….the list goes on.

Discovering all my options

Suddenly, there were almost too many choices for me as a Biology graduate! Luckily, I was able to extend my degree for a year to do Management at the Business School. I knew this was the right option because I was sure I wanted a business-focused role. I thought I would be more suited to work where business skills like project management or communication were needed. When I did those internships, I felt more fulfilled than doing research projects at university. A lot of this was because of the real world, practical application I was able to experience in the workplace.

I ended up landing a graduate job on GSK’s HR Future Leaders Programme. In the Pharmaceutical sector, I got exposure to an almost overwhelming number of roles you can do in the science industry. Working in HR in the Pharma industry was great because I built a foundation of business skills that I can now transfer to a wide range of roles across industries. It is also where my interest in supporting others with their development was ignited. I rotated around four different areas of the company before being promoted to a HR Manager role, so in total I did five roles there. Mostly, I ended up working with Research & Development departments, which meant I could work closely with scientists and others in science-related roles. It gave me a sense of fulfilment to keep a link to my science background and support the work of scientists, without having to directly do the research myself!

Luckily, I was able to extend my degree for a year to do Management at the Business School. I knew this was the right option because I was sure I wanted a business-focused role. I thought I would be more suited to work where business skills like project management or communication were needed.

Where I am now

I decided to leave GSK and explore different science-led industries through volunteering and networking. During this time I also started Outside the Lab to support others with their career development in non-academic roles. I volunteered at the Cultural Events team at the Science Museum Group and now work in Research Grants & Funding, supporting researchers to apply for funding for health-care related studies.

All the way, I’ve been able to keep my link to science and apply business skills at the same time, which is exactly what my degree in Biology with Management set me up to do. It’s been really fulfilling to know that both parts of my degree are relevant to my career.

If you interested in taking your career outside the lab and want to know how to start, you can watch Batool’s webinar on How Science Graduates Can Get a High Paying Job Outside the Lab Even if You Have Little to No Work Experience.

Careers

Health

Programme

Joint Honours

3 minute read

Mynurva: A new solution to an old problem

Francesca Hoare — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:31:29 +0000

Mynurva: A new solution to an old problem

Francesca Hoare Tue, 04/03/2025 - 09:31

4 March 2026 Alumni

Besnik Mustafa (Weekend MBA 2025)

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19 February 2019

Alumni

Written by Dr Zain Sikafi (Intercalated BSc Medical Sciences with Management 2008), qualified GP, Digital Health Entrepreneur and Co-founder and CEO of Mynurva.

Mental health is the single largest financial burden in the world, with a cost to the global economy of £1.6 trillion per year.

In 2017, the British Prime Minister commissioned the independent ‘Thriving at Work’ report, which showed that a staggering 300,000 Britons lose their job each year as a direct consequence of mental health problems. Furthermore, statistics show that 91 million working days are lost in the UK every year due to people’s struggles with mental health at an annual cost to the national economy of £99 billion.

The figures say it all: there is a mental health crisis both in the UK and globally. It’s been simmering beneath the surface for decades, but in more recent years we have finally started to break the taboo and talk about mental illness.

However, when it comes to work, people are still unable – or at least feel unable – to open up about the serious psychological issues that are inflicting their day-to-day lives.

In late 2018, my business Mynurva commissioned an independent study among more than 2,000 UK adults to uncover the prevalence of mental health problems in the workplace. Moreover, we drilled down into the reasons why so many people are suffering in silence with conditions like stress, anxiety and depression.

We found that a third of full-time workers in the UK have suffered from mental illness. Worryingly, 37% of those affected have never sought any form of help for their problems, while 44% have never even spoken to their employer about the issue.

Why not? The research showed 59% fear talking about the issue would damage their relationships with colleagues; 58% believe conversations with a manager would not remain confidential; and 55% feel opening up about mental illness would hurt their chances of a promotion.

Organisations are slowly making improvements in this area. From support schemes and private medical insurance through to more relaxed and open office environments, employers are actively trying to tackle the mental health crisis.

But it’s going to be a long road. And the reality is that for the foreseeable future, people are not going to feel comfortable speaking about mental illness in the workplace.

This is what inspired me to launch Mynurva last year.

Mynurva provides fast access to therapy or counselling, confidentially, securely and discreetly, via its live video platform. There are no waiting rooms, and no travelling is required.

It was created to combat the barriers that are preventing people from seeking help for mental health problems. Namely, that busy professionals have precious little free time amidst their hectic working life, and they are deeply uncomfortable with the prospect of speaking to a colleague about their troubles with stress, anxiety or depression.

It’s clear that we need new solutions, and technology – as it has in so many other parts of our lives – was the logical place to start. I pondered: how can we use the same technology that is already sat in our homes or in our pockets to improve people’s access to high-quality mental health treatment?

Live video was the answer. By using video conferencing software, which many of us are already familiar with, Mynurva is able to connect users with therapists and counsellors within minutes.

With round the clock appointments available, people no longer need to leave work, take sick days or use their holiday leave to see a medical professional. What’s more, being able to conduct the sessions from anywhere via a secure online platform alleviates fears regarding confidentiality.

Over recent decades, we have seen technology completely revolutionise the way people access services and consume products. We now use digital tools to manage everything from our finances to our love lives. But in the healthcare space, where confidentiality and interaction with qualified experts is essential, we’ve been slower to embrace the change.

Thankfully, the HealthTech industry is starting to flourish. And as we look for innovative ways to combat the mental health crisis that’s hurting so many employees and employers, we at Mynurva are excited to have created an easy-to-access solution for those who have been suffering in silence with mental illness.

Entrepreneurship

Health

Programme

Intercalated BSc

3 minute read

Alumni perspective on healthcare management in the UK

Francesca Hoare — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:31:29 +0000

Alumni perspective on healthcare management in the UK

Francesca Hoare Tue, 04/03/2025 - 09:31

4 March 2026 Alumni

Besnik Mustafa (Weekend MBA 2025)

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30 September 2019

Alumni

Theodora Kalentzi (MSc International Health Management 2004), a specialist in women’s health, experienced medical practitioner, director, consultant and entrepreneur. With a long and distinguished career in the NHS, Theodora now runs her own private clinic offering specialist menopause care and a wide range of GP services. Providing a holistic approach to her work, we spoke to Theodora about how this could be applied across the healthcare system as a whole, improving patient experience and overall efficiencies.

Tell us about yourself

I started as a trainee doctor in the UK in 1996 and trained across various clinical specialities before I became a GP in 2001. My career has seen me delivering a variety of roles, ranging from clinical as an NHS GP, to educational during my time as a GP tutor for the London Deanery, University of London, to mentoring in primary care, to senior management as an NHS Medical Director and Responsible Officer. I now manage my own private practice, Medical Prime. It’s been a busy portfolio career!

Early on as a GP, I chose to specialise in women’s health issues, specifically the menopause, as I realised this was an area of healthcare which was underrepresented and yet something that potentially affects half the population.

I also became a healthcare trainer providing experienced support in the delivery of multidisciplinary clinical management training. This has involved consultancy and project work, with a focus on developing management skills, teaching employment law awareness, performance management and clinical investigations.

Institutions such as Imperial have a very important role to play in this – both in terms of lobbing government and in training the managers of tomorrow. Any research that backs up the needs of the healthcare profession is most welcome and training is vital.

During your time at as consultant, were there any key themes?

A reoccurring theme was the challenge in communication and systems within practice teams and between healthcare providers such as primary and secondary care. I would work with teams focusing on best practice solutions, improved organisational behaviour and communication channels, encouraging openness and accountability.

This openness is also something I would love to see between the private and public healthcare sector. It would save time, money and improve patient care.

What do you think are the greatest challenges facing the healthcare sector?

I believe the greatest challenge is making change happen. There are many people with lots of good ideas and the drive to commit, but the NHS is a massive operation. Implementing change does not come easily or quickly.

There are many stumbling blocks to change. Many of the processes are centralised, and while it is important to have governance and overall control, too much regulation and emphasis on systems and processes can hinder change. Providing local managers with greater autonomy would help and allow for local adoption of relevant processes. The focus of all our work is the patients themselves, their needs are paramount.

Now that I work in the private sector, I see how much hostility there is to private healthcare. I don’t believe it should be ‘them and us’, we must all focus on the treatment and care of our patients. As doctors, we are all ultimately regulated and revalidated by the same governing body, the General Medical Council, so if we all worked as one healthcare community, there would be benefits and efficiencies for all involved.

The thing that saddens me the most is the fact that healthcare professionals are suffering. When you see talented and dedicated professionals leaving due to stress, mental health issues, long term sick leave, or taking early retirement, it is time for radical change.

What can institutions such as Imperial do to help support this change?

Institutions such as Imperial have a very important role to play in this – both in terms of lobbing government and in training the managers of tomorrow. Any research that backs up the needs of the healthcare profession is most welcome and training is vital.

Having held senior positions in the healthcare profession, and attending many training sessions, I was sometimes surprised that management tools such as PESTEL and SWOT analysis were only being taught at director level. These are basic managerial skills that everyone should have. If managers and clinicians are equipped with these principles at the beginning of their career, it is much easier to effect change – your starting point becomes implementation, not the concepts behind why change management is important.

Healthcare professionals also need to see the end to end process, so that they can continuously scan the environment, and adapt and improve accordingly. It is crucial to understand the need for change, if you resist this you become part of the problem.

How did your time at Imperial impact on your career?

My time at Imperial changed my life! I loved the course and everything about it. It truly opened up a new world to me.

I gained a great deal of self-awareness, particularly in how I work in a team, as well as how others do. Being aware of your own and others’ natural preferences, personalities, working approach etc. means it is easier to manage a team and share relevant tasks accordingly.

It is important to look at the complimentary skills of the whole team. When I was group coordinator, I took time to look at the personality types and team environment to assign tasks more effectively, matching people to what they did best. This was a skill I carried forward with me and used in my consulting also. Being able to coach teams in how to manage each other’s strengths and weaknesses improves overall performance and working environment.

What is next for you?

I set up my own clinic last year and received a huge response to women’s health services, specifically around the menopause. I believe women deserve a choice and the option for different treatments. I would love to see a more joined up approach to private and NHS care. Until then, I will continue to do the best for my patients, providing treatment, advice, care and choice.

Careers

Health

Programme

MSc Global Health Management

4 minute read

Alumni case study: Revolutionising healthcare one app at a time

Francesca Hoare — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:31:29 +0000

Alumni case study: Revolutionising healthcare one app at a time

Francesca Hoare Tue, 04/03/2025 - 09:31

4 March 2026 Alumni

Besnik Mustafa (Weekend MBA 2025)

27 February 2026 Alumni

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13 February 2026 Alumni

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2 July 2018

Alumni

Alumnus Rory Ryan, Chief Operating Officer and Founder of ZIO Health Ltd, describes himself as ‘striving to make positive impacts on society with medical technology’. In 2015 Ryan and his team launched ZIO Health, an innovative home diagnostic tool. Here he talks about developing and launching his business while completing his MSc in Innovation Entrepreneurship and Management (2016).

Our vision is to revolutionise healthcare, change the way we care for ourselves. The concept of ZIO is to provide state of the art diagnostics to the home with the aim of helping user lead happier healthier lifestyles.

What gave you the idea for your business?
While at Imperial Business School I formed a partnership with a medical doctor/MBA student from Oxford and a biochemist PhD from Imperial. We investigated a few different healthcare problems and found an opportunity in blood testing based upon his experience working in hospitals. We pivoted multiple times and settled on a home diagnostics device.

We are developing a pocket-sized body fluid analyser that connects to your smart phone so you can test your blood, saliva and urine for nutritional parameters. Our app gives you personalised diet advice (and exercise advice when needed) to help you optimise your health so that you can potentially reduce risk of developing diseases. However, our first product to be launched in China next year is a baby nutrition analyser that parents can use to analyse breast milk quality, powder milk contaminants, water and baby food quality. Many Chinese parents have concerns about fake or contaminated baby powder and food products and worry how pollution and unhealthy diets affect breastmilk quality. Our device empowers parents by helping them to be sure they are doing the best for their baby.

What was the greatest challenge you faced in starting out?
Team formation. It takes time to trust each other and learn to work together. It is crucial to pick your team carefully based upon skills that complement each other. Also take into account there can be challenges if you are not all based in the same country. My business partner and I sometimes worked remotely at the beginning. We came up with the business name ZIO Health over email and only realised a few weeks later that we were pronouncing it differently. I pronounced it Z-EEE-O while he pronounced it Z-EYE-O. We settled on ZIO (Z-EYE-O) so it sounds like bio!

The most satisfaction comes from seeing your business grow as you hit new milestones.

Any advice to budding entrepreneurs?

"Always think big market first. It takes the same amount of exhaustive work on a big or small company so always choose the business idea that has the biggest market potential."

How did your time at the Business School prepare you for setting up your own business?
Before I completed my Masters, I attended the Entrepreneurial Smart Camp Summer School at the Business School. My immediate impression was that my cohort was full of creative, culturally diverse, and ambitious people. Everyone seemed to be passionate about innovation and ideas and I had never been in an environment like it. I felt inspired.

My role in the business is COO and my time spent in the Business School helped me prepare for things such as business strategy, pitching, management.

You can find out more about ZIO Health Ltd here, which has offices in the UK, America and China.

Entrepreneurship

Health

Programme

MSc Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Management

2 minute read

Alumni Q&A: Irfan Khan (MBA 2000)

Francesca Hoare — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 09:26:19 +0000

Alumni Q&A: Irfan Khan (MBA 2000)

Francesca Hoare Thu, 27/02/2025 - 09:26

4 March 2026 Alumni

Besnik Mustafa (Weekend MBA 2025)

6 November 2025 Alumni

Joanne Linder, Full-Time MBA 1996

Joanne Linder, Full-Time MBA 1996, is one of the Business School’s most dedicated alumni volunteers. She joined the Alumni Advisory Council (AAC) 13 years ago and was appointed Chair just a year later, providing steady leadership through a period of significant change.

22 October 2025 Alumni

Black History Month: Lola Aworanti-Ekugo, Weekend MBA 2018

Lola Aworanti-Ekugo, Weekend MBA 2018, is the founder of AfriBorder, a company which is revolutionising financial services and international trade across Africa through technology.

21 March 2025

Alumni

Irfan Khan completed his MSC in Engineering & Physical Science in Medicine at Imperial before going on to study for his MBA at Imperial Business School in 2000. Irfan is a visionary leader with over 25 years of experience dedicated to transforming healthcare in emerging markets, particularly in South Asia and Africa. As the Group CEO of Evercare Healthcare Group, he oversees a network of hospitals and clinics, pioneering patient-centered, sustainable healthcare systems. Renowned for his strategic foresight and empathy-driven leadership, Irfan has championed initiatives that enhance healthcare accessibility, affordability, and quality. His legacy includes fostering talent development, advancing digital health innovations, and building resilient systems to serve underserved communities. Irfan's work exemplifies a lifelong commitment to ethical, impactful healthcare leadership.

How did your studies at Imperial help inform your career in the healthcare sector?

Having come from an engineering background, my MSc in Engineering & Physical Science in Medicine at Imperial was my first experience of working in healthcare. We had the opportunity to work with clinicians and doctors, and it helped me to gain a much deeper understanding of medicine. I did my MBA at Imperial a few years later, which brought together the two pieces of the puzzle, business and medicine, to give me a holistic understanding of the healthcare industry.

My specialisation during my MBA was customer-focused strategy, which has been key to my work in hospitals. Healthcare is an emotional industry—you are dealing with people who are unwell, often someone’s friend or family member—so understanding a patient-centric approach was incredibly important.

Imperial's strength lies in its diverse student body and wide range of courses. Pursuing my MBA at a STEM-focused university was highly beneficial, as it naturally integrated science, technology, and medicine concepts.

What professional achievement are you most proud of?

For me, the standout achievement is about the people I work with. I think one of the major mandates of leadership is to build other leaders, not to just have followers, and I’m very proud of the talent I’ve helped to nurture in the countries we work in.

At Evercare, we operate in the emerging markets such as Kenya, Nigeria and Pakistan. It can be the case that future leaders in these markets end up leaving the country and taking their skills elsewhere. I have taken a personal interest in identifying, developing, and retaining future leaders within the countries where we operate.

There is no single formula for identifying aspiring leaders. The most important quality is a strong desire to learn. We can then get them the opportunities and qualifications they need to move forwards.

What do you think are the most important qualities for someone in a leadership position?

When you are in a leadership position, being a good communicator and an empathetic leader is very important.

I’d also say integrity for leaders is key. This is especially the case in a sector like healthcare where quality, ethics and patient safety must be paramount. In healthcare, we are responsible for people's lives, so there can be no compromise.

I work across lots of different cultures and countries, and there is one basic principle which applies everywhere, which is respect. You must be humble and willing to learn from each other.

What drew you to study in the UK and Imperial?

I chose Imperial for its reputation. Whenever I watched science or technology news, many of the experts featured were from Imperial. I think London is an amazing city to be a student in – it’s diverse, accepting and so well connected. It was a no-brainer really!

What does it mean for you to be an alumnus of Imperial?

Studying at Imperial is one of the best decisions I made in my life! When you tell people where you did your degree, it automatically brings a level of respect to the table. I have spent a good 25 years building my career and I think a lot can be attributed to the solid foundation I got from Imperial.

It’s important for me to give back—whether by giving talks or providing opportunities for Imperial ��ý to gain work experience in our hospitals.

The world is increasingly complex, with many career options available. I want to help ��ý navigate these opportunities. Many people may not consider a career in healthcare unless they are doctors or nurses. However, it is an incredibly rewarding field with diverse opportunities.

Programme

3 minute read

Why professional networks are vital to healthcare innovation

Marisa Miraldo — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 14:54:30 +0000

Why professional networks are vital to healthcare innovation

Marisa Miraldo Mon, 20/01/2025 - 14:54

21 January 2025

Back in 2000, English health authorities issued guidance for an innovative form of keyhole surgery. This promised a less invasive way of treating colorectal cancer, which is the third most common cancer in the world and responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths. For decades, doctors had treated this condition with open surgery, but the new procedure carried a better survival rate, patients tended to recover faster and it cost less.

Despite this, doctors were reluctant to adopt it. As a procedure, it required new skills and the learning curve was steep. Even when England’s National Institute for Health & Care Excellence evaluated it as a cost-effective treatment alternative in 2006, uptake among surgeons remained sluggish.

An encouraging environment is critical for new methods and techniques to spread

We interviewed surgeons in the UK's National Health Service (NHS) and, while some were enthusiastic about the new procedure, others were reluctant. “We all like to stick with things we know work,” one surgeon, who’d persisted with conventional methods, told us. “I think there’s a lot of innate conservatives and we do require… an innovation to prove itself before we adopt it.”

Crucially, there was no easy way for surgeons to learn the new technique, which requires much practice to perfect. Could more have been done to encourage and inspire doctors to adopt the new approach? What governs the speed of uptake of novel techniques such as this among medical professionals? Were some doctors more influential than others?

Spreading healthcare innovation

It’s important we understand the different ways innovation spreads, because once a doctor reaches the senior status of consultant, there is no further formal NHS training for new procedures. If doctors are to innovate, they must often take the initiative themselves.

Colleagues can be important sources of encouragement, either by sharing their perceived value of the technology or their own experiences with it. An encouraging environment is critical for new methods and techniques to spread.

Our research, carried out by a team of academics from Imperial's Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation, the University of Toulouse Capitole and University of Queensland, incorporates a vast quantity of data, all anonymised. These included details of all patients treated by the NHS between 2000 and 2014. We also used details on NHS doctors’ careers as they progressed to consultant level and their clinical choices, where they have practised and with whom, and their demographic and education details.

These data enabled us to characterise each consultant professional network and how it evolved as well as the uptake of the technology in each network. In all, we honed in on nearly 1,500 consultants responsible for more than nine in 10 colorectal cancer surgeries in England during the 14-year window.

These were our three key findings:

The larger doctors’ networks are, the more likely they are to use keyhole surgery.
The more often an innovative procedure is performed within an individual’s professional network, the more likely they are to use it too. This became more pronounced according to an individual surgeon’s experience: more experienced doctors were found to have a stronger effect on their colleagues.
We also spotted the role of those we’ve termed "key players" – influential doctors whose use of the procedure inspired a greater share of colleagues to follow suit.

The key players

While it is the more experienced doctors or the pioneers in the uptake of the innovation who are the most influential in their network, we found less experienced doctors are more likely to adopt the innovation as a result of peer influence. This means they develop into effective innovation ambassadors themselves. We also found "key players" are more likely to be working in the kinds of hospitals with greater regulatory freedom and which are more open to innovation.

When we ran an experiment to see whether a training campaign that targeted the most influential doctors would improve uptake, our simulation found this would have boosted use of the novel surgery by 20 per cent – with substantial health benefits for patients and cost savings for the NHS.

Our work shows that guidelines, in combination with ad-hoc training programmes that don’t factor network effects in their design, are not the most effective strategies to ensure uptake of cost effective innovation.

Our work also reveals a dearth of information about doctors themselves. Our health systems know all about the demand side, such as patients’ characteristics, but almost nothing about the doctors who treat them. If authorities want to improve health and lower costs, researchers need more detailed information about the professionals who deliver care and their characteristics, as well as their attitudes towards innovation.

This article draws on findings from "Innovation Diffusion among Coworkers: Evidence from Senior Doctors" by Eliana Barrenho (Imperial London), Eric Gautier (University of Toulouse Capitole), Marisa Miraldo (Imperial London), Carol Propper (Imperial London) and Christiern Rose (University of Queensland).

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Opinion: “Good science” needs purpose, accountability and an explicit ethical stance

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We like to pretend that science is neutral – that our work is insulated from politics, economics and power. But it isn’t. The funding we receive, the methods we choose and, crucially, the questions we ask – and those we never ask – are shaped by funding, performance metrics, history, social norms, and our own biases. To act as if science floats above these forces is not only naïve, it’s irresponsible.

From the 19th century onwards, scientific institutions were deeply entangled with military power, industrial productivity and colonial rule. Funding priorities were set around national prestige and economic gains. Universities adapted by building reward systems around publications, citations, patents and grants. Generations of researchers were trained to see themselves as specialists accountable primarily to peers and promotion committees not to the communities affected by their work. Within this system, a comforting narrative took hold: “I just do the science; what others do with it is not my responsibility.”

Science that harmed

As a professor, I am painfully aware of the historical lessons that demonstrate how damaging scientific work framed as progress can be.

One example is the many leading scientists and physicians who believed they were helping society while promoting eugenics. In practice, it justified forced sterilisation, institutionalisation, and the brutalisation of disabled people, the impoverished, and racialised communities. Meanwhile, the science was wrapped in the language of public good, making it harder to challenge. The echoes of eugenic assumptions that some lives are less desirable persists today, reminding us of the lasting harm scientists can have on society.

Today, algorithmic systems and social media recommendation systems designed to “maximise engagement” have contributed to polarisation, harassment and mental distress. Built by people who may have wanted to “connect the world” or “democratise access” these systems operate in institutional settings that reward growth, not care.

A pattern emerges: decisions are made far from those most affected and the social, historical, and political dimensions of science are often treated as secondary, if they are acknowledged at all.

Ethical science requires governance that travels with the technology – from research question to deployment – and includes the people and communities most affected.

A manifesto for socially responsible science

If good intentions are not enough, what would it take to change? A manifesto is, by definition, unfinished – it is an invitation to collective work. But I would like to start the conversation by setting out some clear commitments.

1. Name the politics of science, openly and early. Make our values explicit in the design, conduct, and communication of research.

2. Redefine excellence. Treat equity, representation, and long-term social and environmental consequences as core criteria of quality.

3. Practice convergence, not siloed brilliance. Treat lived experience, social sciences and the arts as essential intelligence, not decorative.

4. Share power with those most affected. Move beyond token consultation. Communities and groups most affected by research hold real decision-making power over priorities, methods, data governance, and evaluation of impact.

5. Build systematic processes to surface potential harms, including those that fall outside our immediate field of view.

6. Align incentives with responsibility. Push institutions and funders to reward collaborative and justice-oriented science – in hiring, promotion and grant allocation.

7. Refuse institutional silence and require them to align their investments, partnerships, and policies accordingly.

8. Protect dissent and whistleblowing within science to create a culture that produces socially responsible knowledge.

9. Educate for responsibility, not just technique. Embed history, ethics, social theory, and critical reflection into scientific training. Students must learn not just how to generate but how to situate it in the world and be transformational leaders.

10. Hold ourselves accountable. When we invoke “science for humanity,” “precision health,” or “sustainability,” we treat those words as obligations, not slogans. We measure ourselves against the lived experiences of people and ecosystems, not just against citation counts and patents.

How ethical science is embedded in practice

At a time when “science” is simultaneously invoked to defend public policy and attacked as elitist, I believe good science needs purpose, accountability and an explicit ethical stance. These do not sit only in labs and universities: they run through funders, regulators, publishers, governments and yes, businesses that decide what gets built, scaled, and sold.

Initiatives like Imperial’s School of Convergence Science, where I am Co-Director, the Good Science Project, and the “Science for Humanity” strategy, create spaces that prioritise impact and values, question incentives, and redesign how we judge excellence. They will matter insofar as they shift incentives and decision-making: who sits at the table, what counts as excellence, and how harms are identified and acted on.

The question now is whether we are prepared to turn those intentions into structures, commitments, and convergent practices that make responsibility – not just discovery – the organising principle of what counts as excellent science.

Learn more about the Good Science Project

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