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Judith Smith

Professor of Health Policy and Management, University of Birmingham

Judith is a highly experienced and widely published health services researcher and policy analyst. She took up post as Director of the Health Services Management Centre (HSMC) and Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Birmingham on 1 June 2015. This followed six years spent as Director of Policy at the Nuffield Trust, an independent charitable health research foundation in London.

Earlier in her career, Judith spent 12 years at HSMC, holding the positions of Senior Lecturer, Director of Research, and Academic Director of the NHS Management Training Scheme. From 2007 to 2009, Judith was based in New Zealand as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Health Services Research Centre of Victoria University of Wellington and working as an advisor to the New Zealand Ministry of Health. Early in her career she was a senior manager in the NHS, and successfully completed the NHS graduate management training scheme. Judith is a Non-executive Director of the Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, an Honorary Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. Judith’s other roles have included being an expert advisor on NHS organisation and commissioning, and policy assessor to the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry, a member of the board of the UK Health Services Research Network and the European Health Management Association, and chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Commission on Models of Care.

NHS ten-year plan for England: what’s in it and what’s needed to make it work

Jul 06, 2025 12:10 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The UK government has published its eagerly awaited ten-year health plan for England, setting out how billions of pounds in NHS funding will be used to transform healthcare delivery across the country. As anticipated, the...

Is the crisis in the NHS as bad as the Red Cross says it is?

Jan 11, 2017 15:42 pm UTC| Insights & Views

There have been many warnings over the past few years about the problems facing the NHS and social care. But the British Red Cross is the first to describe the situation as a humanitarian crisis. The Red Cross is one of...

Economy

Supreme Court Showdown: Trump's Sweeping Tariffs Face Judgment Day as Early as Friday

On President Trumps contentious use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to levy broad Liberation Day tariffs of 10-50% on imports from most nations, along with other duties on Canada, Mexico, and...

Asian Currencies Trade Sideways as Dollar Wavers Ahead of Key U.S. Jobs Data; Aussie Dollar Hits 15-Month High

Most Asian currencies traded within a narrow range against the U.S. dollar as global markets turned cautious ahead of key U.S. labor market data due later this week. Currency traders largely avoided taking major positions,...

Oil Prices Slide in Asia as Trump Signals Venezuela Supply Boost, Raising Global Glut Fears

Oil prices fell sharply during Asian trading on Wednesday as markets reacted to comments from U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting Venezuela could soon supply tens of millions of barrels of crude oil to the United...

Asian Markets Slip as Oil Prices Fall on Venezuela Developments and Global Tensions

Asian markets traded mixed as investors digested falling oil prices, rising commodity stocks, and heightened geopolitical tensions tied to Venezuela, China, and broader global uncertainty. Crude oil futures extended losses...

Dollar Holds Steady as Markets Await Key U.S. Economic Data and Fed Signals

The U.S. dollar traded in tight ranges on Wednesday as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of a series of important U.S. economic data releases that could shape expectations for the Federal Reserves interest rate...

Politics

Trump Administration Freezes Federal Child Care Funds Over Fraud Concerns

The Trump administration has announced a freeze on certain federal child care and family assistance funds for five U.S. statesCalifornia, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New Yorkciting serious concerns about fraud and...

Five Years After January 6 Capitol Riot, Democrats and Republicans Clash Over History and Power

Five years after the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, sharp political divisions resurfaced in Washington as Democrats accused Republicans of attempting to rewrite history, while President Donald Trump downplayed...

US–Venezuela Oil Deal Signals Major Shift in Energy Trade and Sanctions Strategy

The United States and Venezuela have reached a significant agreement that could reshape global oil flows, following an announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump that Caracas will export up to $2 billion worth of...

Venezuela Declares National Mourning After Deadly U.S. Raid Linked to Maduro Operation

Venezuela has declared a period of national mourning following a deadly U.S. military raid that reportedly took place over the weekend and was aimed at capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Acting President...

Trump Administration Pressures Venezuela Power Brokers After Maduro’s Ouster

The Trump administration has reportedly intensified pressure on key Venezuelan power brokers following the removal of longtime leader Nicolas Maduro, signaling a hardline approach to shaping a post-Maduro transition....

Science

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Technology

Hyundai Motor Shares Surge on Nvidia Partnership Speculation

Shares of Hyundai Motor surged sharply on Wednesday, climbing as much as 14.9% to reach a record high during morning trading, significantly outperforming South Koreas benchmark KOSPI index, which gained 1.2%. The rally was...

Lenovo Unveils AI Cloud Gigafactory With NVIDIA and Launches New AI Platform at CES 2026

Lenovo made a major impact at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Tuesday by unveiling an artificial intelligence cloud gigafactory developed in collaboration with NVIDIA, reinforcing its position as a...

China Reviews Meta’s $2 Billion AI Deal With Manus Amid Technology Control Concerns

Chinese government officials are reportedly reviewing Meta Platforms $2 billion acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Manus, raising potential concerns over technology transfer and national security controls....

Discord Confidentially Files for U.S. IPO, Signaling Major Milestone

Popular chat platform Discord has confidentially filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in the United States, according to a Bloomberg News report citing people familiar with the matter. The move marks a significant...

FDA Limits Regulation of Wearable Devices and Wellness Software, Boosting Health Tech Industry

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Tuesday that it will limit regulatory oversight of wearable devices and software designed to support healthy lifestyles, issuing new guidance to clarify its approach...