Paul Belcher FRCP MFPH Hon 🇪🇺🇬🇧
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pauljbelcher.bsky.social
Paul Belcher FRCP MFPH Hon 🇪🇺🇬🇧
@pauljbelcher.bsky.social
European Public Health Advocate 🔹Fellow, Royal College of Physicians🔹EU Advisor, EurohealthNet🔹Member, Faculty of Public Health - European Public Health Association🔹Advisory Committee, European Health Forum

LinkedIn https://uk.linkedin.com/in/pauljbelcher
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🗳️ Research: Population health is associated with increasing vote share for #ReformUK

Constituencies electing #Reform MPs had highest average prevalence of 15/20 conditions

“a further incentive to take steps to improve #publichealth and reduce #inequalities

bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/12/1...
What is the relationship between population health and voting patterns: an ecological study in England
Background Health is a fundamental issue in politics and an area where governments hold significant levers of influence. Countries in Europe have seen increased support for populist political parties,...
bmjopenrespres.bmj.com
Reposted by Paul Belcher FRCP MFPH Hon 🇪🇺🇬🇧
#ArtificialIntelligence: AI risks deepening #Inequality, says head of world’s largest Sovereign Wealth Fund

Head of Norway's Sovereign Wealth Fund warned that the accelerating deployment of #AI risked deepening social and geopolitical inequalities across the globe.

www.ft.com/content/30c6...
AI risks deepening inequality, says head of world’s largest SWF
Nicolai Tangen warns differing access to artificial intelligence has potential for ‘splitting societies’
www.ft.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:27 AM
#ArtificialIntelligence: AI risks deepening #Inequality, says head of world’s largest Sovereign Wealth Fund

Head of Norway's Sovereign Wealth Fund warned that the accelerating deployment of #AI risked deepening social and geopolitical inequalities across the globe.

www.ft.com/content/30c6...
AI risks deepening inequality, says head of world’s largest SWF
Nicolai Tangen warns differing access to artificial intelligence has potential for ‘splitting societies’
www.ft.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Reposted by Paul Belcher FRCP MFPH Hon 🇪🇺🇬🇧
The dying voice of #CivilSociety in EU policymaking

“The commission claims it wants civil society to be a partner in policymaking. But it shies away from defending NGOs against recent political attacks and fails to secure the stable funding that they need to survive"

euobserver.com/eu-political...
The EU's so-called Civil Society Strategy: a band-aid on a gaping wound
The EU Commission’s new Civil Society Strategy, promised by Ursula von der Leyen in 2024, aims to protect civic space, strengthen participation, and secure funding for NGOs. On paper, it sounds promis...
euobserver.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:22 AM
The dying voice of #CivilSociety in EU policymaking

“The commission claims it wants civil society to be a partner in policymaking. But it shies away from defending NGOs against recent political attacks and fails to secure the stable funding that they need to survive"

euobserver.com/eu-political...
The EU's so-called Civil Society Strategy: a band-aid on a gaping wound
The EU Commission’s new Civil Society Strategy, promised by Ursula von der Leyen in 2024, aims to protect civic space, strengthen participation, and secure funding for NGOs. On paper, it sounds promis...
euobserver.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Reposted by Paul Belcher FRCP MFPH Hon 🇪🇺🇬🇧
“The Commission’s rhetoric of ‘simplification’ is a smokescreen for dismantling hard-won regulatory safeguards. These rules are not bureaucratic obstacles—they are the backbone of protection for children, teachers, schools, and the quality of our education systems." #DigitalOmnibus
November 20, 2025 at 10:42 AM
🇺🇳 New #WHO Europe report warns that #AI is advancing faster than health policies can keep up, risking wider #inequalities without stronger safeguards

“The choices we make now will determine whether AI empowers #patients and #healthworkers or leaves them behind.”

news.un.org/en/story/202...
UN calls for legal safeguards for AI in healthcare
Use of artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating in healthcare – but basic legal safety nets that protect patients and health workers are lacking.
news.un.org
November 21, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Reposted by Paul Belcher FRCP MFPH Hon 🇪🇺🇬🇧
🦠Neglecting infectious diseases is a market failure

🦠Major companies are reducing research on new medicines for illnesses that affect billions of people
November 20, 2025 at 5:47 PM
🦠Neglecting infectious diseases is a market failure

🦠Major companies are reducing research on new medicines for illnesses that affect billions of people
November 20, 2025 at 5:47 PM
🍔 #UltraProcessedFood is a #GlobalHealth threat fuelled by powerful global corporations, experts warn

@thelancet.com review of evidence carried out by 43 global expert suggests #UPFs are linked to a greater risk of 12 health conditions.

www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc....
Ultra-processed food is global health threat, experts warn - BBC News
It is increasing our risk of a range of chronic diseases, including obesity and depression, a major review says.
www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org
November 20, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Reposted by Paul Belcher FRCP MFPH Hon 🇪🇺🇬🇧
🚨Launched today: Ultra-processed food #UPF is linked to harm in every major organ system of the human body and poses a seismic threat to #globalhealth, according to world’s largest review published in @thelancet.com

#obesity #diabetes #heartdisease ##depression

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Ultra-processed food linked to harm in every major human organ, study finds
World’s largest scientific review warns consumption of UPFs poses seismic threat to global health and wellbeing
www.theguardian.com
November 19, 2025 at 9:31 AM
🚨Launched today: Ultra-processed food #UPF is linked to harm in every major organ system of the human body and poses a seismic threat to #globalhealth, according to world’s largest review published in @thelancet.com

#obesity #diabetes #heartdisease ##depression

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Ultra-processed food linked to harm in every major human organ, study finds
World’s largest scientific review warns consumption of UPFs poses seismic threat to global health and wellbeing
www.theguardian.com
November 19, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Reposted by Paul Belcher FRCP MFPH Hon 🇪🇺🇬🇧
🌍 Study: US and European aid cuts could result in 22.6 million deaths worldwide

🌎 Study by @isglobal.org warns of 22.6 million deaths by 2030

🌏 Severe aid cuts could reverse decades of global health progress

🌍 Trump's USAID cuts mirrored by other countries

www.reuters.com/business/hea...
www.reuters.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:40 AM
🌍 Study: US and European aid cuts could result in 22.6 million deaths worldwide

🌎 Study by @isglobal.org warns of 22.6 million deaths by 2030

🌏 Severe aid cuts could reverse decades of global health progress

🌍 Trump's USAID cuts mirrored by other countries

www.reuters.com/business/hea...
www.reuters.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Reposted by Paul Belcher FRCP MFPH Hon 🇪🇺🇬🇧
"A #FarRight politician recently told me that “ #PublicHealth is a political ideology – it is a recipe for expanding government control over people’s lives ”.

@carocostongs.bsky.social of @eurohealthnet.bsky.social at @ephconference.bsky.social #EPH2025

www.linkedin.com/posts/caroli...
#eph2025 | Caroline Costongs
A far-right politician recently told me that “public health is a political ideology – it is a recipe for expanding government control over people’s lives”. I used this quote to kick-start the 4th ple...
www.linkedin.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by Paul Belcher FRCP MFPH Hon 🇪🇺🇬🇧
Canada has just lost measles elimination status. The U.S. will undoubtedly follow shortly.

Elimination means that there is no continuous spreading of measles within the country for a year or longer.

Canada and the U.S. have blown it, and it’s largely the fault of the anti-vaccination movement.
Canada loses measles elimination status after three decades, health agency says
Canada has lost its measles elimination status after nearly three decades due to its failure to curb a year-long outbreak, the country's public health agency said on Monday.
www.reuters.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:52 PM
#MySouthDowns | Beauty for all seasons | Come and visit us:
Sunday serenity.

The view towards Ashcombe Mill near Kingston.

📷 Lloyd Lane
November 16, 2025 at 9:57 AM
🇺🇸 The erosion of evidence: how to counter #disinformation when the state is spreading it

#scientists must find new ways to speak up for #science. The privilege of working in your own academic or clinical bubble is gone.”

@chrischirp.bsky.social

christinapagel.substack.com/p/the-erosio...
November 16, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Reposted by Paul Belcher FRCP MFPH Hon 🇪🇺🇬🇧
🇧🇪 Well done #Brussels: The Best Places to Go in Europe in 2026

“This often-overlooked European capital is having a cultural moment, signaling a shift from a bureaucratic hub to a creative powerhouse”

@cathhart.bsky.social @jrowanbxl.bsky.social

www.cntraveler.com/story/the-be...
The Best Places to Go in Europe in 2026
For dazzling islands, design cities, and cultural events you won't want to miss.
www.cntraveler.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:50 PM
🇧🇪 Well done #Brussels: The Best Places to Go in Europe in 2026

“This often-overlooked European capital is having a cultural moment, signaling a shift from a bureaucratic hub to a creative powerhouse”

@cathhart.bsky.social @jrowanbxl.bsky.social

www.cntraveler.com/story/the-be...
The Best Places to Go in Europe in 2026
For dazzling islands, design cities, and cultural events you won't want to miss.
www.cntraveler.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:50 PM
"A #FarRight politician recently told me that “ #PublicHealth is a political ideology – it is a recipe for expanding government control over people’s lives ”.

@carocostongs.bsky.social of @eurohealthnet.bsky.social at @ephconference.bsky.social #EPH2025

www.linkedin.com/posts/caroli...
#eph2025 | Caroline Costongs
A far-right politician recently told me that “public health is a political ideology – it is a recipe for expanding government control over people’s lives”. I used this quote to kick-start the 4th ple...
www.linkedin.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by Paul Belcher FRCP MFPH Hon 🇪🇺🇬🇧
The fact that children in 2025 are suffering from diseases that should have been consigned to history is not just a public health failure. It is a moral failure.

www.statnews.com/2025/11/12/c...
Kids have a right to vaccinations. Let's bring in the lawyers
Children suffering from diseases that should have been consigned to history is a moral failure. Access to vaccines is a human right.
www.statnews.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Reposted by Paul Belcher FRCP MFPH Hon 🇪🇺🇬🇧
#Populism vs #Democracy | Why #Europe Must Rediscover Its Fighting Spirit

"Against the populist darkness threatening democracy, Europeans must remember that enlightenment principles require active defence—and the courage to confront bullies."

www.socialeurope.eu/the-light-st...
The Light Still Flickers: Why Europe Must Rediscover Its Fighting Spirit
Against the populist darkness threatening democracy, Europeans must remember that enlightenment principles require active defence—and the courage to confront bullies.
www.socialeurope.eu
November 12, 2025 at 7:31 AM
Reposted by Paul Belcher FRCP MFPH Hon 🇪🇺🇬🇧
The #Epidemiologists Are Running for Office

Many #health professionals have shied away from #politics in the past. But as the Trump administration has attacked them, researchers and health-care workers have had a surge of interest in running for office

www.theatlantic.com/science/2025...
The Epidemiologists Are Running for Office
Instead of trying to depoliticize their field, a swell of scientists want to become politicians.
www.theatlantic.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:53 PM
The #Epidemiologists Are Running for Office

Many #health professionals have shied away from #politics in the past. But as the Trump administration has attacked them, researchers and health-care workers have had a surge of interest in running for office

www.theatlantic.com/science/2025...
The Epidemiologists Are Running for Office
Instead of trying to depoliticize their field, a swell of scientists want to become politicians.
www.theatlantic.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by Paul Belcher FRCP MFPH Hon 🇪🇺🇬🇧
🇫🇮 LIVE: @ephconference.bsky.social joint statement:

#Invest in systems that advance health
✅ Embed #equity
✅ Promote #HealthforAll
✅ Protect from #Disinformation
✅ Support public health #Workforce
✅ Measure #Wellbeing not just growth

#EPH2025 @eupha.bsky.social

ephconference.eu/2025-eph-con...
2025 EPH Conference Helsinki Statement
ephconference.eu
November 11, 2025 at 8:42 AM