Directors of Public Health

Liverpool – Public Health Annual Report

Elected Member – Cllr Harry Doyle, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing & Culture

Prof Ashton was appointed Director of Public Health for Liverpool City Council in April 2020 in a joint appointment with the University of Liverpool, where he is an Honorary Professor in the Department of Public Health and Policy.

He leads a team of over 30 people in the local authority, covering a range of public health activities including the commissioning of public health services, health protection, health improvement, health care public health, embedding health in all policies approaches, public health research & development, and addressing the wider and commercial determinants of health.

Matt led on the response to the Covid-19 pandemic for Liverpool, and his efforts have been recognised nationally through the award of the Faculty of Public Health’s presidential medal in 2021, and also the Chief Medical Officers National Impact Award in 2022.

He has twice been Chair of CHAMPS, the Cheshire and Merseyside Public Health Collaborative Service, in 2015/16 and in 2023/24, and in 2024 was elected to the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) Board, as the board member with responsibility for Membership.

Matt is currently the lead Director of Public Health in Cheshire & Merseyside for Strategic Partnerships, Communications, and Social Marketing, and co-chairs the sub regional All Together Fairer Partnership

Matt is also the lead Director of Public Health for the Liverpool City Region Violence Reduction Partnership, and for Food Active, a healthy weight programme delivered by the Health Equalities Group, and commissioned by local authority public health teams, NHS organisations, and Public Health England teams at both regional and national level.

Matt is passionate about bringing together the best people and partnerships in the region to improve health and wellbeing and reduce inequalities in the communities we serve. Matt grew up and went to school in Liverpool, and also studied for his Masters of Public Health at the University of Liverpool.

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Ian was appointed Director of Population Health in June 2023 and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Chester.

He has a background in delivering successful health improvement programmes within Local Authorities and NHS Trusts across the North West. Having completed his Master of Public Health Degree at the University of Liverpool, Ian undertook his specialist public health training in Greater Manchester. Joining Salford City Council in 2014, he was the prevention and community assets lead for the internationally recognised Salford Together Integrated Care programme.

In 2017, Ian was appointed Director of Public Health for Cheshire West and Chester and led the borough-wide response to the COVID pandemic from the start.  During the pandemic he became the Chair for the Cheshire & Merseyside Public Health Collaborative and was the lead DPH for the Cheshire Local Resilience Forum, providing public health advice to the Strategic Coordinating Group for Cheshire & Warrington.

A Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health, Ian is now the lead Director for NHS Cheshire & Merseyside’s Population Health programme and a member of both the Health and Care Partnership and Integrated Care Board. This work recently included the production of the innovative All Together Fairer Marmot Community Strategy with the Institute of Health Equity.

Wirral – Public Health Annual Report

Elected Member – Cllr Graeme Cooper, Chair Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee

Dave has worked within Public Health for nearly 30 years, within the NHS and local government. This has mainly been within Cheshire and Warrington but also working across Cheshire and Merseyside and more broadly across the North West. Dave started off on an employment trainee scheme in Knowsley which provided him with the grounding required to progress and build an exciting career in public health.

Dave was Acting Deputy Director of Public Health in Warrington from 2017 before his newly appointed role of  Director of Public Health for Wirral and he was a senior member of Warrington’s Public Health Team since 2002. He has been responsible for leading a wide range of programmes to improve the health and wellbeing of Warrington residents. As Deputy Director Dave lead the Core Public Health Team, oversaw the commissioning of all public health services and ensured that we met our statutory duties.

In addition, Dave shared the acting up arrangements for the vacant Director of Public Health for a period of nine months which coincided with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time Dave was heavily involved in developing the local response to the acute phase of the pandemic and he assumed responsibility for the wider services of Housing, Neighbourhoods and Public Protection.

Cheshire West and Chester – Public Health Annual Report 

Elected Member –Cllr Sheila Little- Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health

Helen began her career as a registered nurse in London.  Her interest in maps and mapping disease soon led to the discovery of epidemiology, completion of a master’s degree in Population Health, and a PhD in Social Medicine.  She then worked at the University of Liverpool followed by a stint at Liverpool’s School of Tropical Medicine.

Helen has held numerous national and international roles, for example with NICE, DfID, the World Health Organization and the World Bank.  She has worked with many institutions, undertaking research and training in some of the world’s poorest regions.  Projects include supporting the Chinese National Government to introduce social science research methods into its National Tuberculosis Research Programme and supporting the Government of Syria to set up their National Centre for Health Research, Teaching and Consultancy.

Helen joined Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Public Health team in 2013 as a Consultant in Public Health and was appointed Interim Director of Public Health in May 2023.  She is an accredited Educational Supervisor for the Public Health Training Programme and is the North West Training Programme Director for COVID Recovery.  She is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health and North West Board Member and trustee for the Faculty.

Helen has been a visiting Professor at the University of Chester since 2014.  She works closely with the Faculty of Health and Social Care, in both research and teaching roles and is a member of the Faculty’s Research and Innovation Committee.

St Helens – Public Health Annual Report

Elected Member – Cllr Anthony Burns – Portfolio Holder for Wellbeing, Culture and Heritage

Shirley started employment with St Helens Council as a Consultant in Public Health in February 2022, and her portfolio includes wider determinants, healthy weight, physical activity, children and young people, tobacco control, teenage pregnancy, oral health, commissioning and social prescribing. Shirley is also an Education Supervisor, Professional Appraiser and a qualified Coach and Mentor.

Shirley has achieved a BSc Honours in Sport & Exercise Science from Lancaster University and a MSc Applied Public Health master’s degree from Liverpool John Moores University. Shirley gained professional registration with UKPHR as a Defined Specialist in May 2021 via the portfolio route.

Shirley has over 20 years’ experience working in the Public Health, starting her career in Bolton Council as Exercise Specialist, then NHS Ashton, Leigh & Wigan working in Healthy Schools, and progressing through various strategic leadership roles within Blackburn with Darwen Council Public Health team.  Shirley also had secondments in Oldham and Bolton Councils as a Locum CPH.

Shirley lives in Chorley Lancashire with two teenage children and her dog Tigger, and enjoys walking, gardening, and travelling with friends and family.

Claire McIver joined Cheshire East Council as the Director of Public Health in March 2026.  Claire has worked in various public health roles for over 20 years, both in the NHS and Local Government, and gained her specialty registration via the portfolio route.  Claire’s first Consultant role was in Staffordshire, then moving into the Assistant DPH role, where she led the Covid19 response and the development of an Alliance of Public Health Consultants working between the ICB, hospital trust and local authority.

Claire is committed to developing the public health workforce and supporting the next generation of leaders. As an educational supervisor and informal mentor, Claire works closely with colleagues pursuing specialty registration via the portfolio route, offering guidance, encouragement, and practical insight drawn from her own journey. She has a particular interest in behaviour change and is passionate about developing the public health workforce.  She is an educational supervisor, as well as an informal mentor for several portfolio route candidates. Above all, Claire is passionate about creating the conditions in which everyone can be healthy, happy, and able to thrive.

Cheshire East – Public Health Annual Report

Elected Member – Cllr Jill Rhodes – Cabinet Member for Public Health

Sefton Council – Public Health Annual Report

Elected Member – Cllr Mhairi Doyle MBE – Cabinet member for Health, Wellbeing and Inclusion

Rory has a PhD in health psychology with years of postdoctoral academic experience in health inequalities research while he was based at the University of Liverpool’s Public Health Department. This included specialising in qualitative research methodology and systematic reviews.

He worked as Chair for the Northwest Behavioural Science and Public Health Network, where he established a workforce development programme for the North West. Rory is currently an Associate Postgraduate Dean for NHS England North West with the portfolio area of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. He is also Director of a national LGBT Health Inequalities Charity.

Prior to becoming DPH for Sefton Council, Rory was a Consultant in Public Health with portfolio oversight including mental health, sexual health and healthcare public health. His areas of interest include LGBT health, qualitative research, community engagement, the wider determinants of health and widening participation.

Knowsley – Public Health Annual Report

Elected Member – Councillor details – Councillor Christine Bannon – Knowsley Council

Sarah McNulty is Assistant Executive Director (Public Health) / Director of Public Health, with Knowsley Council. 

Sarah is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health. She originally studied medicine at Leeds University and, after initially training in general practice in Yorkshire and Liverpool, trained in Public Health in Cheshire and Merseyside.

Sarah joined Public Health Knowsley in 2009, initially specialising in Health Protection and Healthcare Public Health.  Since June 2019 she has been Director of Public Health. 

Sarah has led a number of cross-sector programmes and is the Champs DPH Lead for Screening and Immunisations, Diabetes and High Blood Pressure. She is also the Co-Chair of the Merseyside Local Health Resilience Partnership (LHRP).

Halton – Public Health Annual Report

Elected Member – Cllr Marie Wright – Portfolio holder for Health and Wellbeing

Dr Ifeoma Onyia is Director of Public Health with Halton Borough Council.

Ifeoma (pronounced ee-for-ma) is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health. She originally studied medicine in Nigeria and trained in general practice across Yorkshire, Cheshire and Merseyside before completing her public health training also in Cheshire and Merseyside.

Ifeoma has worked as a Consultant in Public Health for the NHS in Wirral and Stoke-on-Trent before joining Halton in 2013, leading on Healthcare Public Health, Intelligence and Governance. With her team she is focused on tackling the impacts of COVID-19 on the local population, maintaining a stable, vibrant innovative public health workforce and embracing the opportunities for improving health for Halton people.

Ifeoma also has an NIHR funded role to build public health research capacity in Local Authorities and now chairs the North West Research Group, who deliver a wide range of learning events.

In her spare time she enjoys reading, creative writing, running and walking, though not necessarily in that order.

Warrington – Public Health Annual Report

Director of Public Health with over 30 years experience of working in the public sector.

Former Chair of Greater Manchester Public Health Leadership Network (GM ADPH).

Regional lead for Children and Families, Violence Prevention and Domestic Abuse and Making Smoking History.

Affiliations:

• Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health (FFPH)
• Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH)
• UK Public Health Registration (UKPHR)
• Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)