As Director of Public Health for Norfolk, Dr Smith leads the Council Council’s strategies to protect, promote and improve the populations’ health. She is the lead officer support for Norfolk Health and Wellbeing Board, chairs the NHS Resilience Partnership and Norfolk Domestic Abuse Strategy Board. As DPH she is currently leading on Norfolk’s response to the Covid 19 outbreak.
Prior to her role as Norfolk’s DPH, Louise was Deputy Director Public Health in Hertfordshire specialising in public health commissioning, children, young people and sexual health. She retains an interest in sexual health and chairs the Association of Directors of Public Health sexual health policy advisory group.
She has recently joined the advisory panel for the What Works for Wellbeing Centre who draw evidence together and produce practical guidance that government, businesses and communities can use to help improve wellbeing across a wide range of issues including housing, employment, communities and the arts.
Louise trained as a doctor in Edinburgh, developed clinical and research experience interest in genetics, women and children; and served as senior medical advisor on women and children’s health for the Scottish Government when Nicola Sturgeon was Minister for Health.