GBSH hosts the CEO of UCLH for Welcome Week

Welcome Week has been made all the more exciting thanks to the esteemed guests that have joined us to meet and share insights with our new students. One particular highlight has been welcoming David Probert, the Chief Executive of University College London Hospitals (UCLH), to speak to our MBA and Global Healthcare Management MSc students. 

David became Chief Executive of UCLH in August 2021. Situated in the heart of London, UCLH is one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK, a major teaching hospital and a leader in acute and specialist care. Before becoming Chief Executive at UCLH, David held the Chief Executive role at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. 

With an esteemed background in NHS healthcare leadership, one of David’s key achievements has been to oversee the development of Oriel, a pioneering new eye-care research, education and treatment centre in partnership with University College London. 

During his speech to new students as part of our Welcome Week events, David discussed his reflections on the healthcare leadership function and why it’s needed now more than ever, what makes a great leader in the NHS, and how it can positively impact clinical practice. 

David’s speech drew close attention to just how important healthcare leadership is for patient care and brought to life the inspiring career paths available to UCL GBSH graduates, including transformatory leadership roles in the NHS. 

As we start our second year of teaching at UCL GBSH, I am even more excited about the School’s mission to provide our graduates with the economic grounding and business acumen to tackle the biggest healthcare challenges of our age from an entirely new perspective - with the potential to have a transformative effect on the access and delivery of healthcare across the world. 

Forming part of UCL GBSH’s continuing work to disrupt and reimagine global healthcare management, we’re excited to have David on board as an Honorary Professor at UCL GBSH. His distinguished career, leading London’s most prominent NHS trusts, means that David provides valuable insights into the real-world outcomes that come from putting our programme of study into practice. 

Make sure to look out for other events throughout the academic year, including our Healthcare Leader Voices seminars which are open to the public. These feature prominent healthcare leaders discussing how to navigate the opportunities and challenges of working in the world of healthcare, with previous speakers including Dr Sam Roberts, Chief Executive of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Dr Jit Saini, Senior Vice President and Head of Medical Affairs EMEA at Merck.

By Professor Nora Colton, Director of the UCL Global Business School for Health