Geof Rayner

Honorary Research Fellow

PhD, Goldsmiths, University of London (Sociology), 1998
BA, Goldsmiths, University of London (Social Science and Administration), 1976

Work

During the 1970s and 1980s, Geof Rayner worked in various academic positions including London University and City University, New York. From 1985 to 1992 he was Manager of the Lambeth Health Liaison Unit, a joint body of the London Borough of Lambeth and the West Lambeth and Camberwell Health Authorities. From 1992 to the present, he has been a consultant specialising in public health policy. In 2009-11, he was a contractor for the European Commission on a two year project examining food industry governance in the 27 countries of the EU. Alongside his active links with City University he is Professor Associate in Public Health at Brunel University. He is a director of a farm in the Midlands and chair of several commercial and not-for-profit companies, including Photofusion Photography Centre, in London.

Interests

Geof's interests range widely across policy and health. He was co-founding editor of the journal Critical Social Policy in 1980. He was chair of the UK Public Health Association 1999-2004. He was elected a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health (of the Royal College of Physicians) in 2003. He has worked across a wide range of public and voluntary sector organisations. He has been a Trustee of the National Council of Voluntary Organisations; was co-founder of Photofusion photography centre in 1984; was a member of the 'Wanless Group' supporting the Derek Wanless public health inquiry (for HM Treasury). He was judged to be one of 'Britain's leading 10 people in public health' (Independent on Sunday, 23 February 2003). He is on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition (launched in 2007). With Tim Lang, he was an advisor to Obesity Foresight project and has been a member of the expert group advising the development and implementation of government policy on obesity. Rayner and Lang collaborated on the review of the big 20 Global Food Companies responses to the WHO Diet and Physical Activity Strategy, in a much cited report (April 2006).

Publications 2005-2011

Rayner G, Lang T, (2012). Ecological Public Health: Reshaping the Conditions of Good Health, London: Earthscan, forthcoming

Rayner G, Lang T (2011). Is nudge an effective public health strategy to tackle obesity? British Medical Journal, 2011 Apr 13;342

Rayner G (2011). Nudge Public Health: The New Laissez Faire, Food Ethics, Spring, 6, 1 7-8

Lang T, Rayner G (2010). Corporate responsibility in public health. British Medical Journal, 2010, Jul 14, p341

Rayner G, Gracia M, Young E, et al (2010). Why are we fat? Discussions on the socioeconomic dimensions and responses to obesity, Globalization and Health, 6, 7. http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/content/pdf/1744-8603-6-7.pdf

Rayner G (2009). Conventional and ecological public health, Public Health, 123, 587-591, 2009

Rayner G, Lang T (2009). Obesity: Using the Ecologic Public Health Approach to Overcome Policy Cacophony, in: Peter G. Kopelman, Ian D. Caterson and William H. Dietz, eds, Clinical Obesity in Adults and Children, 3rd edition Blackwell, chapter 33.

Rayner G, Lang T, Barling D (2008). Sustainable Food Systems in Europe, Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition, 3, 2-3, 145-168

Rayner G (2008). A Question of Balance, Environmental Health Practitioner, 8 September, 8-10

Rayner, G (2007). Multidisciplinary public health: leading from the Front? Public Health, 121, 6, June, 449-454

Lang T, Rayner G (2007). Overcoming policy cacophony on obesity: an ecological public health framework for policymakers. Obesity Reviews, 8 (s1), 165-181.

Rayner G, Hawkes C, Lang T, Bello W (2007). Trade liberalisation and the diet and nutrition transition: a public health response, Health Promotion International, 21 (S1), 67-74 .

Lang T, Rayner G, Kaelin E (2006). The Food Industry, Diet, Physical Activity and Health: a review of reported commitments and practice of 25 of the world's largest food companies. London: Centre for Food Policy, City University. April

Rayner G (2006). Alcohol: A Public Health Approach in Sian Griffiths and David Hunter, eds, Perspectives on Public Health, Radcliffe Medical Press

Lang T, Rayner G (2005). Obesity: a growing issue for European policy?, Journal of European Social Policy, 15, 4, 301-327 doi: 10.1177/0958928705057263

Lang T, Rayner G, et al (2005). Policy Councils on Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity: The UK as a case study, Public Health Nutrition, 8, 1, 11-19