North West Public Health Conference held at the University of Central Lancashire | May 2025
14th May 2025
Thanks to colleagues across the North West who attended the North West Public Health Conference on the 14th May 2025 at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston. The conference was jointly organised by the Cumbria and Lancashire Public Health Collaborative, OHID NW, NHSE NW, Global Race Centre for Equality (GRaCE), and members of the NW Public Health Anti-Racism Collaborative.
The conference, co-chaired by Abdul Razaq, DPH for Blackburn with Darwen Council, and Cordelle Ofori, DPH for Manchester City Council, aimed to bring together public health leaders, practitioners and community voices from across the region for a day of learning, collaboration and action on anti-racism and health equity.
The day began with a warm welcome from Dr Andrew Furber, Regional Director of Public Health, OHID North West, followed by Bryan Jones, Dean of the School of Health, Social Work & Sport at UCLan. Together, they set the tone for a day dedicated to advancing equity and inclusivity in public health.
Throughout the morning, speakers shared powerful insights on embedding anti-racist practice into public health work. Professor Dawn Edge (University of Manchester) framed the conversation with an exploration of the intersections between racism, health equity and mental health. Evelyn Asante-Mensah OBE (Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust) highlighted the work of the North West BAME Assembly in championing anti-racist action, while Adil Javed (Alchemy Arts) spoke about leveraging culture and community to provide stigma-free support. Uma Krishnamoorthy (East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust) shared practical ways organisations can embed anti-racist approaches through quality improvement
A dynamic panel discussion gave attendees the opportunity to delve deeper into these themes.
The afternoon offered a choice of three workshops designed to equip participants with practical tools and strategies. Topics included anti-racism leadership, creating lasting legacies of change, and adopting intelligence-informed actions in practice. These interactive sessions fostered lively discussion and generated actionable ideas to take back to local systems.
The day concluded with a live illustration by Jenny Leonard, a bespoke poem by Ella Otomewo, and closing reflections from Cordelle Ofori, Director of Public Health, Manchester City Council.
The conference was a timely reminder of the collective responsibility and opportunity we have to make public health truly equitable and inclusive. Thank you to all who attended, contributed and helped shape such a meaningful day.
Excellent feedback was received, with attendees rating the day 9.2/10. Delegates enjoyed the keynote speakers the most, describing them as diverse, thought-provoking, inspiring and challenging.
Click here to view the post conference report.
Click here to view the resources from the day.
The speakers were all great - a good mix of lived experience, practical application/learning and academic/conceptual. All were inspiring and engaging.
