UCL’s newly-formed Vice-Provost Health Office launches today (Monday), as part of the university’s mission to advance healthcare.
Led by Professor Ibrahim Abubakar, the new Office will now include the Health Partnerships, Academic Careers Office and Health of the Public teams.
VP Health will act as the university’s primary point of contact with health partners, joining up UCL’s exceptional network of strategic relationships across the health ecosystem, connecting NHS hospital partners, NHS Trusts, faculties and research centres and other external partners together to improve patients’ lives.
As well as leading and developing capital projects, global partnerships, talent development and large-scale interdisciplinary research and innovation ventures, the office will also work to promote the health community at UCL externally beyond academia. Placing UCL’s academic health sciences eco-system firmly at the forefront of health and life sciences, as a centre for excellence and innovation, the office will promote our ability to advance discovery, support education and professional development, shape policy, and transform care for communities locally, nationally, and globally.
Our unique cross-disciplinary approach to research will be threaded through the new Health office, taking a ’whole university’ approach, maximising the impact of expertise found in all 11 faculties. This approach will inform a new Health Strategy, in line with UCL’s wider academic strategy, which aims to harness UCL’s strengths to drive forwards improvements in health and respond to global challenges including changing demographics and limited resources, and new opportunities from AI to quantum computing, and data science.
Appointed in July 2025, Professor Abubakar now takes up the post of Vice-Provost Health full-time after stepping down from his role as Dean of Population Health Sciences in December 2025.
He brings significant global health experience to the position. From key chairing roles for World Health Organisation, to leading Lancet Migration, his expertise and advocacy have directly shaped policy implementation, affecting the lives of millions of people internationally, particularly in relation to tuberculosis and Covid 19.
He joined UCL in 2012 as Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and went on to become Director of the Institute of Global Health and Vice-Dean (International and External Engagement) in the Faculty of Population Health Sciences, before being appointed Dean of the Faculty in 2021. In 2023 he took on the additional role of Pro-Provost (Health) alongside his role as Dean.
Professor Abubakar said:
"I am delighted to start this year with determination and optimism, welcoming new teams and colleagues into the VP Health Office.
"2026 is a milestone year for the university. Our 200th anniversary is a chance to reflect on the major health discoveries that have already impacted so many lives since UCL was founded. From Robert Liston, Professor of Clinical Surgery at UCL, performing the first operation under anaesthetic in 1846 to biologist Professor Anne McLaren’s research into how embryos work, which led to the development of in-vitro fertilisation, we have always been at the forefront of healthcare.
"I am pleased to lead our academic health sciences ecosystem working with colleagues from all faculties and our global and NHS partners to deliver transformative health impact. In 2026, I am looking to looking forward to our next chapter. Our new health strategy will ensure that new discoveries, innovations and advancements can have the same impact on the generations to come."
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