Men's Health Forum

According to the latest Annual report on their website (for 2002) the Men's Health Forum’s mission is 'to provide an independent and authoritative voice for male health and to tackle the issues affecting the health and well-being of boys and men in England and Wales'.

They aim to achieve this through: • Research and policy development • Professional training • Providing information services • Stimulating professional and public debate • Working with MPs and Government • Developing innovative and imaginative projects • Collaborating with the widest possible range of interested organisations and individuals • Organising the annual National Men’s Health Week

People

The Chief Executive of the Men's Health Forum is currently (2007) Peter Baker and the President is Ian Banks.

The Men's Health Forum's Trustees (2007)

• Alan White Chair of the Trustees
• Frederick Buckingham-Evans
• Jane DeVille-Almond
• Gopa Mitra
• Gillian Nineham
• Shaun O'Leary

Sponsors and Supporters

The Men's Health Forum receives substantial backing from industry, the following are included in the Forum's list of sponsors for 2004-5 :

• Abbott Laboratories £5,000
• AstraZeneca £5,000
• BT £9,375
• Eli Lilly £14,900
• Mentality - (part of the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health) - £5,000
• Pfizer £35,000
• Roche Diagnostics £25,000
• Roche Products £91,000
• Ruder Finn £5,000
• Sanofi-Aventis £17,500
• Shire Health £2,000
• Slim Fast Foods £5,000
• Water UK (an organisation which advertises itself as 'working on behalf of the water industry') £5,000

The forum also received support from...

• National Obesity Forum £5,000
• TOAST £3,000

The Forum also received in-kind support from:

• British In-Vitro Diagnostic Association (the national trade association for companies with major involvement and interest in the In Vitro Diagnostics industry ) – the regular free use of meeting rooms;
• 8ml – hosting of websites;
• Harrison Cowley – PR support for National Men’s Health Week 2004.

For the year 2006, the Men's Health Forum (England and Wales) received £48,000 and the Men's Health Forum (Scotland) received £2000 from Pfizer

In 2006, the Men's Health Forum (England & Wales) also commenced 'partnership' with Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited (the UK subsidiary of Merck and Co. Inc.).

Transparency

The Men's Health Forum has a policy in regard to its relations with corporate industry which states that...

'The Forum has relied – and still depends – heavily on corporate support in particular for a significant proportion of its core and project costs. It is essential, therefore, that the Forum establishes a strict, clear and transparent policy for collaboration and partnership. Such a policy will benefit both the Forum and other organisations by ensuring that the Forum remains independent and autonomous and that there can be no actual or perceived improper influence on its work'.

The Men's Health Forum may voice a commitment to transparency in policy, yet this is lacking in practice. The most recent figures (listed as 'current') for its corporate sponsorship dates back to 2004/05. As Miller sums up in his article on Spinwatch ...

'Whether, there is any actual improper influence on its work is difficult to tell, since the forum does not disclose the funding it 'depends on' from the private sector. Nor does it detail what it is for and what proportion of its budget is from private sources'.

Affiliations

The European Men's Health Forum (EMHF) was set up as an initiative by the Men's Health Forum. In 2007, Ian Banks holds the position of President on both Forums and Alan White (Chair of Trustees for the Men's Health Forum) also sits on the Board of Directors for the EMHF.

Contact

Men's Health Forum. Tavistock House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9HR

Tel: 020 7388 4449 Fax: 020 7388 4477

Email: office@menshealthforum.org.uk