Each year, registrars organize a regional conference to highlight their work and explore key topics relevant to the School of Public Health – London. This event serves as a platform for knowledge-sharing and professional engagement within the public health community.

Further details will be provided separately.

Current Public Health registrars host an introductory evening seminar for individuals interested in exploring specialty training in Public Health in London.

Information is provided about the training scheme structure and approach, as well as the application process.

The next introductory evening will be held virtually.

Date: Monday 02 March 2026
Time: 18:00 – 20:00

If you wish to attend the evening, please complete the registration form using the link below:
Registration form

For further information, please email lkssphmx@gmail.com.

*External links.

When registrars start on the training programme in London, they are placed with one of the London local authorities. After completing a year in local authority, they usually go on to undertake an MSc in public health and then complete health protection training at one of UKHSA health protection teams.

After completing their professional exams (diplomate and membership), they can go on to more specialist placements.

Specialist placements include:

• National government departments, including the Office of the Chief Medical Officers and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
• National and regional teams within the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
• National and regional teams with UKHSA
• Local Health Protection teams, including North West London (covering Heathrow)
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
• Global health placements, such as Médecins Sans Frontières
• Think tanks, including the Health Foundation and the Nuffield Trust
• The Greater London Authority
• NHS England teams, including Screening and Immunisation Teams and Specialised Commissioning
• Universities, including LSHTM, UCL, Imperial College London, and Queen Mary University of London
• Acute and community trusts, including the Royal Free, Barts and The London, Chelsea and Westminster, and East London Foundation Trust

Further details on each placement are available in the placement guide. Click here for more information.

Availability of placements depends on appropriate educational supervision at the time and not all placements are available at all times. Some training locations are awarded competitively, usually on an annual basis.

London registrars may also access placements outside London through nationally available training locations advertised by the Faculty of Public Health. Likewise, registrars from outside London may be placed in London through the same process.

To meet the Code of Practice, a training location must be agreed at least 16 weeks before the start date. Any change in placement must be agreed with the registrar’s Training Programme Director (TPD).

NIHR Integrated Academic Training

The partnership between a number of London universities and the School of Public Health has a strong record of attracting Academic Clinical Fellows (ACFs) and Clinical Fellows (CL) funding, ensuring that ACFs/ACL complete their service training, secure academic funding and go on to academic careers. On average, there are 3–4 ACFs advertised every year, with CLs available less frequently.

ACFs/CLs have been or will be based at the following prestigious London universities:

• Imperial College London
• King’s College London
• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
• Queen Mary University London (QMUL)
• St George’s, University of London
• University College London (UCL)

Registrars applying for an ACF must have a medical background. Recruitment for ACFs is usually in October/November each year, with CL recruitment at different points throughout the year. If an individual is successful in securing an ACF but is not currently a Public Health registrar, they must also apply to the public health speciality training programme.

Further information is available on the London Integrated Academic Training website: Integrated Academic Training.

Julie George is the Academic Training Programme Director for Public Health in London.

Academic Placements

Universities listed below are able to take registrars on academic placements to address Key Area 8 and other learning outcomes. For further information on potential academic placements, contact the lead Educational Supervisor in each institution as early as possible.

• Imperial College: Richard Pinder – richard.pinder@imperial.ac.uk
• LSHTM: Greg Hartwell – Gregory.Hartwell@lshtm.ac.uk
• KCL: Krishnarajah Nirantharakumar – krishnarajah.nirantharakumar@kcl.ac.uk
• QMUL: Oyinlola Oyebode – o.oyebode@qmul.ac.uk
• UCL: Nigel Field – nigel.field@ucl.ac.uk

Local Authority Public Health Research Network

A number of partners across London have developed the Local Authority Public Health Research Network (LAPHRN) which seeks to develop academic research in local authority settings. Further information is available from the NIHR LAPHRN website.

Registrars are required to pass two professional exams as part of their training. These should be completed before moving onto specialist placements. General information on the two exams can be found at FPH exams.  

The first, the Diplomate exam, is designed to test individual’s knowledge of public health. The syllabus of knowledge that individuals are expected to master is published on the FPH website. The Diplomate exam is run on-line twice a year in October and March.  More detailed information on other elements of the diplomate exam, including how to apply to sit the exam, can be found at DFPH.  

The second exam, the Membership exam, is designed to test an individual’s ability “to apply relevant knowledge, skills and attitudes to the practice of public health”. This is an in-person exam, held four times a year, usually in February, May, September, and November. The exam is held either in London or Liverpool. The format used is an Objective Structured Public Health Exam (OSPHE), which consists of a series of stations where individual skills are tested.   More detailed information on other elements of the membership exam, including how to apply to sit the exam, can be found at MFPH.