FPH member awarded OBE for his work to promote physical activity

Dr Charlie Foster, FPH Fellow by Distinction, was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List. Charlie, who teaches on the MSc Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health course at the University of Bristol, was awarded the OBE in recognition of his work to promote physical activity. 

Since joining the University of Bristol in 2017, his main research focus has been on leading scientific reviews to update the current UK national physical activity guidelines, working with over 50 UK and international academics and practitioners across all age groups. 

On hearing the news of his OBE, Dr Foster said: “My time teaching PE to secondary school students, running gyms in car factories, working for the NHS in cardiac rehabilitation and primary care has shaped my approach as an academic by aiming to produce science that has a purpose and impact in the real world.

“I hope that this honour helps highlight the valuable role of physical activity research, policy and promotion as a critical mechanism to tackling global health, economic and environmental challenges.

“I will continue to advocate for an active society and for environments that are accessible to all, which offer opportunities for those who have the most to gain and that narrow, not increase, health inequalities.”