Graham Jukes of the CIEH is appointed OBE in the New Year”s Honours list

The award of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire awarded by the Queen is in recognition of his outstanding service to the public through the environmental health profession and the role he has played in improving environmental health conditions both nationally and internationally over an environmental health career spanning 43 years.

Under his leadership, the CIEH has played a critical role in influencing campaigns to address public health issues such as smoke free workplaces and tobacco control, sunbed use, emergency preparedness, food safety, nutrition and obesity, climate change and sustainable development, contaminated land, noise control, public health infrastructure, disease control and international health.

A world expert in the control of pest-borne diseases, Graham played a pivotal role in the publication of the landmark World Health Organization (WHO) document Public health significance of urban pests, alerting governments to the importance of pest control in preparing for emerging diseases. 

Graham Jukes OBE 

On an international level Graham has promoted the ‘environmental health message’ from as far afield as Mongolia and China and throughout Europe.

Commenting, Graham Jukes, said: “I am honoured and delighted that my service and commitment to environmental health has been recognised with an OBE.

“For the past 25 years, while at the CIEH, I have worked hard to position the environmental health profession at the very heart of the public health agenda. A major achievement for me has been that environmental health remains such an essential and vital force in ensuring health and wellbeing and reducing health and social inequalities.

Adding, Andy Statham, chair of the CIEH Board of Trustees said: “I know that all those who work with Graham, will join me in congratulating him on this wonderful news. His OBE represents much deserved recognition for his many years of dedication to the profession.”

Biographical notes
After a local government career in environmental health commencing in 1971, Graham Jukes was appointed Under Secretary at CIEH in 1988 and later as director of Professional Services took responsibility for all legal, technical, policy and educational matters for the profession.

He was appointed chief executive in January 2000 and has led the CIEH policy and professional responses to all the principle legislative frameworks currently in place for Environmental Health. In 2003 He was appointed to the UK government sustainable development task group chaired by the Secretary of State for the Environment.

Following the democratisation movement in the 1990s in Europe he worked closely as an adviser, and consultant with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the introduction of environmental health solutions to countries in political transition. He has worked throughout the world in promoting environmental health solutions to improve the health of communities and is company secretary to the International Federation of Environmental Health, a federation of 42 professional organisations throughout the world.

Over his 43 year career he has held a number of key elected, volunteer and organisational positions within the environmental health community and has been at the forefront of the changes affecting the profession over the past 25 years.

On 31 January 2014 the book “Putting wrong things right” a history of the work of environmental health over the 60 year reign of Her Majesty the Queen will be published. A work inspired by Graham and featuring recollections from colleagues who collectively have increased life expectancy in the UK by over 11 years by the work they have done.

He holds five voluntary directorships in environmental health associated companies and organisations and is Chair of Governors of his local primary school where he has been a Trustee since 2008.

He was elected a fellow of CIEH for his services to environmental health in 1990 and a fellow of the Faculty of Public Health in 2004.

He is married to Barbara Jukes, who is also an environmental health practitioner, a psychotherapist, counsellor and NLP practitioner. His son Harry Jukes is a pupil of Haberdashers” Aske”s Boys” School in Hertfordshire where he is studying for his A levels.