Amicus Humani Generis, Friend of the Human Race, is a charity run by environmental and public health professionals for environmental and public health professionals. Its secretariat is based in the UK and is overseen by an international board including three trustees.
Claudia Kurzac, immediate past president of the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors, practices environmental health in Vancouver, British Columbia. A respected and experienced practitioner locally, regionally and internationally, she represented CIPHI at the International Federation of Environmental Health for four years. Over this period she built a network of international contacts and showed her commitment to promoting development of environmental and public health practice and provision worldwide.
Dr John Curnow is chair of the UK Association of Port Health Authorities, former president of the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland and former director of public health for Orkney. He has advised the Health Protection Agency, National Health Service, Scottish Parliament and World Health Organisation and developed a UK accreditation in international health. A member of the Royal Air Force 1962-1980, he commanded Number 612 Air Transportable Surgical Squadron, R Aux AF, until 2000 and went on to become international president of NATO’s Confederation of the Interallied Officers of the Medical Reserve, a body of health professionals from 27 nations which considers, amongst other things, how to help civilian organisations in times of disaster.
Les Barker was introduced to environmental health in 1955 during Army service, and became qualified as a hygiene assistant. During his service he dealt with accommodation, catering, field kitchens and insect and rodent control and became particularly interested in emergency water supplies and control of malaria and other communicable diseases. He qualified as a public health inspector in 1962 and worked for councils in London and the south east, in sectors including food safety, pollution control, housing and trading standards, rising to become director of community services at Southend unitary authority. Now an environmental health consultant, he says: ‘I’ve always enjoyed my career and still wish to meet new challenges.’
Dennis Mazali, a second generation environmental health practitioner in Tanzania, holds masters degrees from Maastricht University (professional education) and Manchester Metropolitan University (environmental health). He is head and course leader of the environmental health programme at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania, and promotes use of ITC tools in continuous professional development for the Netherlands International Institute for Communication and Development. He manages a modular course in district health management for Inwent (Capacity Building International), Germany, and holds positions with the International Federation of Environmental Health and the Africa Academy of Environmental Health. An expert in e-learning, he is working on ICT capacity building for health development, behavioural change, public-private partnerships and district-level health management in Tanzania.
Tony Morris was educated at Dunstable Grammar School and the University of East Anglia. Following a successful career in sales and marketing, he discovered the environmental health profession 15 years ago. An ‘enthusiast’, he founded the Independent Environmental Health Co-operative in 1994. Mr Morris is currently a director of Kairos Systems, a recently formed IT company, and James and Associates Ltd, a private company specialising in providing environmental health and private sector housing staff and services to UK public sector organisations. He has presented papers at conferences in the UK, the USA and Canada and is a board member of the Association of Port Health Authorities.
Stewart Petrie was educated at Bradford Grammar School, Oxford University and Leeds Metropolitan University. After working for local councils in his native Yorkshire, he embarked on a freelance career to allow more time for his work in international development. Co-founder of Water for Kids and Ehide (Environmental Health in Disasters and Emergencies), Stewart has worked in environmental and public health in over 20 countries on 5 continents. He has spoken at local, national and international conferences and been published widely. Passionate about international co-operation, his focus is facilitating local professionals to help their own communities.
James Morris is a director of James and Associates Ltd, a private company specialising in providing environmental health and private sector housing staff and services to UK public sector organisations. His responsibilities include procurement and client and candidate liaison. He came to environmental and public health from a business background, having worked for financial organisations including Barclaycard before graduating from Teesside University with a degree in business administration in 1998. As FHR registrar he is responsible for the charity’s database of professionals willing to work on development projects and in disaster and emergency situations.
