The Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG), a globally renowned leader in research on tobacco industry accountability and public health policy, is entering an exciting new chapter with changes to its senior leadership.

Dr Rob Branston and Dr Allen Gallagher have been appointed Co-Directors of TCRG. Both have been long-standing members of the group, bringing extensive expertise in tobacco industry regulation and public health. Dr Branston, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Management at the University of Bath, has played a key role in influential work on tobacco taxation, pricing, and corporate behaviour. Dr Gallagher, a Research Fellow in the Department for Health, is a recognised expert on illicit tobacco trade, has been a member of TCRG since 2016 and research lead since 2022, playing a vital role in coordinating the group’s research.

These changes come as part of a broader transformation following the recent creation of the Centre for 21st Century Public Health (C21PH) at the University of Bath, which now houses TCRG alongside wider work on the commercial and other structural determinants of health. The Centre introduces a new organisational structure and vision, aiming to be a world-leading research Centre for innovative public health research that drives real-world impact on human and planetary health.

Professor Anna Gilmore, who founded TCRG in 2007 and has directed it since, guiding its development into an internationally respected research group, now serves as Co-Director of the Centre for 21st Century Public Health, alongside Professor Harry Rutter. While stepping into the role of Co-Director of C21PH, Professor Gilmore will remain closely involved in the strategic direction of TCRG and its research, particularly through the Bloomberg Initiative funded programme that supports TCRG until the end of 2026.

Since its inception, the group’s work has had a measurable global impact, shaping tobacco control policy and advancing public health from the local to global level. This influence is evidenced by numerous awards received by the group and its members, a strong portfolio of impactful research publications, and consistent global media coverage. Its innovative knowledge exchange website, www.TobaccoTactics.org, launched in 2012, has become the ‘go-to’ global resource on the tobacco industry.

In a joint statement, Dr Branston and Dr Gallagher said:

It’s an honour to have the opportunity to take the Tobacco Control Research Group forward as its Co-Directors. We are incredibly proud of TCRG’s history as a multidisciplinary, globally respected research group, and of our brilliant team of hard-working and talented staff. We look forward to building on the legacy of the great work under the leadership of Professor Anna Gilmore and going forward, to working closely with her and the Centre for 21st Century Public Health.

Professor Anna Gilmore said:

It has been wonderful to see TCRG go from strength to strength over the last 18 years. I’m excited to apply my learning from this experience in further developing my role as Co-Director of the new Centre for 21st Century Public Health. At a time when global health challenges are growing in complexity and urgency, the Centre offers a unique opportunity to bring together world-class researchers, innovative thinking, and a shared commitment to equity and impact. By uniting TCRG and other leading researchers under one Centre, we can better generate the evidence, insight, and action needed to protect and improve public health, both now and for future generations. I’m delighted that Doctors Branston and Gallagher have agreed to lead TCRG, and having worked closely with them over many years, I know that I leave the group in safe and talented hands.

In addition to these changes to TCRG, Phil Chamberlain, formerly TCRG Deputy Director, will now support the group in a new role as Project Manager, focusing on operational management following his election to Wiltshire Council. Amy Thompson has also joined the C21PH as Director of Operations, and her remit includes business development and income growth, programme and project management, governance and operations, communications, partnerships, and leading our professional service team.

These changes mark the start of a new era for TCRG, one that reflects its integration into the Centre for 21st Century Public Health and its continued commitment to impactful, policy-relevant research.