Former Deputy Director, Science Research & Evidence Directorate, Department of Health and Social Care

Policy Fellow Alumnus, Centre for Science and Policy

During his time in the Civil Service, Mark Bale led on a number of emerging healthcare science areas and their ethical, legal and policy implications. He was also Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of Profession for Scientists and Engineers for the Department of Health and Social Care.

His priorities were delivery of the 100,000 Genomes (seconded to Genomics England) together with regenerative medicine and gene therapy, genome editing, precision medicine and rare disease policy. He also represented the UK on bioethics, genomics, and biotechnology at international committees. He was Chair of the Committee on Bioethics at the Council of Europe from 2014-2016.

Mark has a research background in microbial genetics and joined the Department of Health in 1999 after working on the occupational safety of GMOs and pathogens.

Currently, Mark is a freelance external advisor in genomics and bioethics.

To read about Mark's experience as a Policy Fellow in Cambridge see here.