Biography
Since her retirement from the NHS in September 2018, Julie has undertaken a variety of roles.
- Professor of Healthcare Systems at Warwick Manufacturing Group, University of Warwick. As part of this role, Julie chairs the advisory board for the Institute of Digital Health and chairs the Mental Health and Productivity Pilot, a project to help employers improve mental health in the workplace.
- Non-Executive Director at Worcester Acute Hospitals
- Member of the Organising Committee for the 2022 Commonwealth Games
- Non-Executive Advisor to Our Health Partnership, a partnership of Primary Care practices for 345000 patients
- Member of the Novartis UK Industry Council
- Trustee of the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund.
- Non-Executive Reset Health
Following a variety of posts in clinical practice and management, Julie became CEO of University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) in 2006. During her time, the new £545m building was built and opened, several significant research ventures commenced, and the Trust named as a Global Digital Exemplar.
Following requests from the Secretary of State, Julie led UHB teams in helping four trusts who were struggling. In 2015 in Julie was asked to take over the nearby Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HoEFT) as it was in serious clinical and financial difficulties. Significant progress was made and in 2018, UHB acquired HoEFT to form the new UHB, a trust treating over 2m patients per year in 4 hospitals with 2750 beds, community services and with 20,000 staff with a turnover of £1.6bn.
UHB hosts the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine and during her tenure, dealt with the casualties from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Julie also visited staff at Camp Bastion to present awards.
Julie also led the development of UHBs portfolio in international work in China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Australia, Libya, Sweden and India.
Julie has contributed to many national projects including leading the Education reforms as part of the Government’s Future Forum, as an independent member of the Office for the Strategic Coordination of Heath Research, a member of the Dalton Review into New Models of Hospital Provision and chaired the HSJ Commission on Hospital Care for Frail Older People. She is a founder member and past Chair of the Shelford Group, ten leading academic hospitals in England.
She has spoken at national and international conferences including on same programme as President Clinton and undertaken local, national and international interviews on TV, radio and in the press, including the Radio 4 Programmes “the Bottom Line” and “the Briefing Room”, BBC television “Newsnight” and “Panorama” and was a panel member in the Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival.
Julie was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2012. In 2013, she was awarded an Honorary Chair at Warwick University, was included in the first BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour list of the 100 most powerful women in the UK and was included in the HSJ lists of the most influential clinical leaders, top CEOs and a national LGBT role model in health. She has Honorary Doctorates from the University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University, Oxford Brookes University and Aston University.
