Andy Alaszewski, co-founder of the journal Health, Risk & Society and a prominent social scientist, has died at the age of 76. His research spanned health policy, illness, disability, and the broader relationship between health and society.
Founding a Leading Journal
In 1998, Andy co-founded the journal Health, Risk & Society with Jill Manthorpe. As its editor for 20 years, he developed it into an influential forum for risk theory and wide-ranging empirical studies, attracting contributors and readers from around the world.
Academic Career and Contributions
From 2001, Andy served as professor of health studies at the University of Kent and director of its Centre for Health Services Studies. There, he advanced critical social science approaches to risk and risk governance, advising the UK Research Councils on priorities in this area alongside Tom Horlick-Jones. His research demonstrated how studying organizational cultures and lived experiences can explain why risk-management policies have varying impacts across different groups and can lead to unintended consequences.
In 2008, Andy joined the government’s scientific advisory committee on pandemic influenza. He later published two timely books: Covid-19 and Risk: Policy Making in a Global Pandemic (2021) and Managing Risk During the Covid-19 Pandemic (2023).
Early Life and Education
Andrzej, known as Andy, was born in Lewisham, south-east London, to Danuta (née Piotrowicz) and Mieczysław, refugees from Nazi and Soviet-invaded Poland. His mother later became a physiotherapist; his father worked as a property manager but had played football for Polonia Warsaw, making Andy an avid football fan.
Educated at St Dunstan’s College in south London, Andy studied social anthropology at the University of Cambridge, completing his PhD under Dr Gilbert Lewis. His thesis explored the lives of patients with learning disabilities in a local long-stay hospital. He later evaluated a Barnardo’s project providing community care for former child patients, working with Bie Nio Ong.
Career at Hull and Kent
In 1976, Andy was appointed lecturer at the University of Hull, moving north with his expanding family—he had married Helen Walker in 1970—and traveling in various colorful Dormobiles. There, he taught health policy in his characteristically relaxed style, often perched on a desk, and embarked on new research on learning disability policy, professional education, and risk practices. He founded MBA programmes in health and social services and took on more administrative tasks after becoming a professor in 1992, but remained committed to supporting junior colleagues.
Retirement and Later Work
Some 35 years after a first cancer diagnosis during his undergraduate studies, further cancers prompted Andy’s early retirement in 2010 from the University of Kent. After retiring, he completed an archaeology degree there. He had recently finished his 12th book, Listening to Stroke Survivors: Life after Stroke, due to be published later this year.
Personal Life and Legacy
Andy was an infectious enthusiast, endlessly curious about politics, travel, and culture. Empathy with others displaced by conflict led his family to host Ukrainian refugees at their home in Canterbury. His commitment to social justice was evident in his support for the city’s food bank and anti-racism demonstrations.
He is survived by Helen, their children Jane, Mark, Ed, and Anna, and nine grandchildren.
