Rana J Singh, Nevin Wilson, Anne Jones OAM and Pranay Lal.

Professor William (Bill) Bellew – Born: London, UK, 1955. Died: 30 October 2025, Sydney, Australia, aged 70. 

Prof Dr William (Bill) Bellew, public health expert, policy strategist, ardent advocate and generous mentor, whose work shaped prevention and health promotion across continents, died in October 2025 in Sydney, Australia after a courageous battle on multiple fronts, which included a cancer diagnosis in 2010, a brain haemorrhage in 2020 and general autonomic failure.  

Born in London, Bill was raised in Dublin by his grandparents, where education and sport were an important part of his upbringing. He completed his school Leaving Certificate in Dublin before moving to London to study for his A levels at St Marylebone Grammar School. His early passion for sport led him to train as a teacher while pursuing athletics, specialising in the 800 metres. At his peak, he represented Ireland in competition—a reflection of the focus and drive that would later define his professional life. 

Bill spent several years teaching in London before joining the National Health Promotion Agency for England, where he developed school curricula and educational resources designed to embed health promotion in everyday learning. It was there he met his future wife, Jeanie McKenzie, a colleague who shared his commitment to public health. The two married and in 1994, emigrated to Australia, where they would launch their professional careers. 

In Sydney, Bill joined the New South Wales Department of Health, where his combination of analytical skill and collegial warmth quickly stood out. Rising to become Director of Chronic Disease Prevention, he led initiatives in tobacco control, obesity prevention, and physical activity promotion. Under his guidance, the tobacco control team helped shape key legislation and policy reforms that remain cornerstones of Australia’s public health framework. 

After more than a decade in government, Bill’s expertise drew international recognition. He served as Consultant Technical Advisor on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) for the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific Regional Office, and as Technical Advisor on Tobacco Control for Bloomberg Philanthropies. In 2006 he and Jeanie moved to New Caledonia, where he continued his consultancy work with Bloomberg, expanding support for low- and middle-income countries developing tobacco control legislation. 

His influence extended across South Asia and particularly in India, where, as Senior Technical Advisor for The Union, he provided critical support in implementing the WHO MPOWER policies and the National Tobacco Control Programme. His leadership in capacity building and policy enforcement contributed significantly to India’s early tobacco control successes.  

Bill’s mentorship lit a spark in countless public health officials working at the grassroots, emboldening them to challenge the tobacco industry’s might with evidence, courage, and conviction. He transformed hesitation into resolve, guiding governments to act decisively through innovative, pragmatic strategies that overcame inertia and political reluctance. A tireless champion of Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which mandates protecting public health policies from tobacco industry interference, he insisted that integrity must anchor every policy. Through The Union’s first position paper, Bill warned against so-called “harm reduction” and vaping strategies, exposing them as deceptive industry ploys to entrench addiction among youth and weaken public health gains.  

Bill’s warmth, charm, and generosity made him everyone’s go-to person—always ready with wisdom, humour, and kindness, both professionally and personally. 

In later years, Bill returned to academia as a Professorial Fellow and Senior Advisor on NCD Policy and Research at the Prevention Research Collaboration, University of Sydney. He was appointed Co-chair of the WHO Strategic Advisory Network for the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity in 2017, helping frame global guidance for physical activity promotion. 

Across a 30-year career, Bill authored more than 120 peer-reviewed papers on disease prevention, health systems, and population-level interventions, amassing over 3,500 citations. Yet colleagues recall that numbers never defined him. He was as much a mentor as a scholar—generous with his time, incisive in thought, and unfailingly kind. His leadership style was collaborative, his intellect rigorous, and his humour disarmingly warm. “He always aimed for the measurable policy breakthrough,” one colleague recalled, “by bringing everyone together to make it happen.” 

Outside work, Bill found solace in the ocean. An avid diver and underwater photographer, he explored reefs across the Pacific, often returning with luminous images that revealed the same curiosity and reverence for life that guided his public health work. 

Prof Bill Bellew is survived by his wife, Jeanie, a legion of colleagues, students and professionals he mentored. His life’s work—a relentless pursuit of evidence-informed policy, and a belief in the power of people to improve public health—remains his enduring legacy. 

Authors:

Rana J Singh is Deputy Regional Director of Southeast Asia where he leads the Tobacco and NCD control programmes at Vital Strategies. Nevin Wilson, Anne Jones OAM and Pranay Lal had worked for over a decade advancing tobacco control with the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union).