Gwyneth Lewis

Gwyneth Helen Lewis is a British physician who is a professor at University College London. She previously served as National Clinical Director for Maternal Health and Maternity Services for the Department of Health. Lewis helped to write Maternity Matters, a strategy that outlined the future of maternity care in the United Kingdom.

Early life and education Lewis attended Oxford High School, England. She attended the UCL Medical School, where she earned her bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery and started her medical career as a surgical specialist. Lewis developed severe arthritis in her hands. She held positions in general practise and obstetrics. She believed that she would have a greater impact in the Department of Health and Social Care, working to support the National Health Service, and trained in public health. Lewis was responsible for the UK Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths. This research project, has helped reduce poor health and morbidity. In the 1999 report, Lewis identified that maternal mortality rates were higher for very young women, those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and those from particular socioeconomic groups. She received funding from the British Council to create My Sister, My Self, a short film that explored birth, motherhood and child loss amongst mothers around the world.

Awards and honours 2008 Bournemouth University Honorary Doctorate 2009 Order of the British Empire for her work on Maternal Health 2010 City, University of London Doctor of Science Honoris Causa

Selected publications