Professor Peter Bradley is to take up his new position in June, replacing Dr Susan Turnbull, who retired from the role of medical officer of health last October.
Professor Bradley currently holds both the chief information officer and director of health intelligence roles at Public Health England, having left Public Health Wales in 2015.
In his new role, he will be the principal independent adviser on all public-health matters, including health improvement, health protection and health inequalities.
Health Minister Richard Renouf said: ‘Professor Peter Bradley will be an invaluable addition to the Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance department. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise and is ideally qualified to lead public health.’
A government spokesperson explained that the director of public health position would modernise the role, bringing it into line with the requirements of the British Faculty of Public Health and following similar moves in the other Crown Dependencies.
The government confirmed that the recruitment process was overseen by the Jersey Appointments Commission and the British Faculty of Public Health. Local and non-local candidates were targeted in the initial search and had formally applied for the role, leading to the compilation of a ‘long-list’ of six candidates.
