Judith Mackay

Dr Anne Charlton was Professor Emerita of Cancer Health Education at the University of Manchester in England. In April this year she became one of the thousands of coronavirus victims in the UK. At the venerable age of 84 years, she died from contracting the virus in hospital while undergoing orthopaedic surgery.

Many heart-warming tributes have been written, including those by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), Cancer Research UK and the Guardian newspaper about her abiding and passionate contribution to cancer, youth and health education. These accolades have mostly focused on her work in the UK.

But Anne had a global impact as well, especially in China, where she deserves to be recognised as one of the early pioneers in tobacco control. Thirty years ago, she highlighted the problem of smoking among Chinese youth, with papers published in Tobacco Control: “Smoking among Chinese youth: a cure for crying?” (see https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/2/1/7), followed by “Recommendations on Smoking among Chinese youth”, a booklet published by Cancer Research UK in 1993.

Her interest and involvement with smoking control in China arose from her background in cancer, her belief in prevention, and the sheer numbers of the problem in China.

Even in those early days, she recognized and exposed the insidious effect of tobacco industry advertising, promotion and sponsorship upon children, and the need for a political policy solution to the tobacco epidemic in all countries in the world.

She had a strong interest in medical history and was eclectic in her interests. Examples range from a 2006 Seminar at the University of Hong Kong entitled: “Tumours in ancient Egypt: linking epidemiology in the past and present,” to a paper where she might have discovered the real reason for Henry VIII’s tempestuous personality and death.

Anne gave the outward impression of a proper English lady. She was also great fun – looking back on our correspondence over the last 30 years, we often used to swap jokes. She lived life with irrepressible zest and humour.

Finally, she was a great role model and mentor to the next generation of tobacco control advocates around the world; her influence will live on.