GENERAL PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Dr. Tom Jefferson was born on 31 March 1954 in Viareggio (near Pisa), Italy. He was educated in Italy and went to UK in 1980 to do his hospital jobs prior to joining the Army. His professional career has spanned two specialties, General Practice (1980-1985) and Public Health (since 1986). He served in the British Army between 1981 and 1999.
Tom’s Army service took place in three continents and two conflicts (South Atlantic and Yugoslavia). He held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He is married with five children.

Dr Tom Jefferson Image

GENERAL PRACTICE CAREER

  • SHO Medicine, Arbroath Infirmary (1980 - 1981).
  • SHO Casualty, Croydon (1981).
  • Post Graduate Medical Officers' Course held Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and the Royal Army Medical College, London (1981).
  • SHO O&G, British Military Hospital Hong Kong (1982).
  • Trainee GP and Regimental Medical Officer in several Gurkha units in Hong Kong and Nepal (1982 - 1984).
  • GP principal at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Armoured Regiment in Germany and Gurkha Battalion in UK and South Atlantic (1984 -1986).
  • Staff officer (various roles, 1987-1999)
  • Partner (part-time), North Lane Practice, Aldershot, Hampshire (1999-2001).

PUBLIC HEALTH CAREER

  • Registrar at the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Royal Army Medical College London (1987-1990).
  • Honorary Lecturer to the Department of Public Health at King's College Hospital, London (Professors Jim McEwen Norman Noah, 1989 - 1996).
  • Honorary Senior Lecturer to the Department of Public Health at King's College Hospital, London (1997 - current).
  • Detachment to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on the Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Course first and then on Master of Science in Community Medicine (1987- 1988).
  • Senior Registrar at the RAMC Training Centre near Aldershot (1988 - 1990). Student on the Higher Command and Staff Course at the Italian Army Staff College, Rome (1990 - 1991).
  • Second in Command of a Medical Battalion in Germany consisting of 250 personnel (1991 - 1992).
  • Assistant Force Medical Officer, United Nations Protection Force in Yugoslavia (UNPROFOR). Tom Jefferson set up all medical facilities for the initial deployment in March 1992 and Director of Public Health for UNPROFOR. He was stationed in Sarajevo (Bosnia- Hercegovina), Belgrade (Serbia) and Zagreb (Croatia) for the duration of six months. Deputy Commander Medical (Preventive Medicine) British Army of the Rhine. He was responsible for all Preventive Medicine services for a population of 120.000 souls (1992-93).
  • Senior Technical Officer on the Health Services Market Test for British Forces Germany (1993-94). Responsible for developing the Statement of Requirement in preparation for the issuing of the Invitation To Tender and the developing of the purchasing function. Staff Officer, Ministry of Defence, Army Medical Directorate (1994-99). Responsible for health surveillance and health policy formulation for the British Army. My department carried out morbidity surveillance for the British Army and for the NATO SFOR mission in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY).
  • In February 1994 Tom was appointed Visiting Professor in Health Services Research at the University of Pavia, Northern Italy.
  • In June 1997 Tom Jefferson was appointed Edmund Parkes Professor of Preventive Medicine at the Royal Defence Medical College. The chair is recognised by the Faculty of Public Health Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom. Additional responsibilities included the strategic management of the Army’s 90-strong Environmental Health cadre. This lapsed when he left the Army.
  • Principal in family medicine, Aldershot, UK, 1999-2001. British Medical Association HC Roscoe Fellow for the study of the prevention and treatment of the common cold (2000-2002).
  • Adviser the Lazio Region Public Health Agency (IT) and the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (on the development of evidence-based clinical guidelines) 2001-2005