The Brian Abel-Smith and Walter Holland Fund

The Brian Abel-Smith and Walter Holland Fund, hosted by LSE Health, was established to honour two leading figures whose work transformed health policy, social welfare, and public health. The Fund supports a range of activities that reflect their shared commitment to combining rigorous research with real-world impact.

Brian Abel-Smith was one of the most influential academics and expert advisers of the 20th century in shaping social welfare. Driven by a strong social mission to improve the lives of the poorest, he combined intellectual excellence with practical policy engagement. As Professor of Social Administration at LSE from 1965 to 1991, Abel-Smith’s work left an enduring mark on health policy and welfare systems worldwide.

Walter Holland was a pioneer in public health research and epidemiology, renowned for bringing historical insight to practical policy questions. A doctor by training, he founded the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Social Medicine and later the acclaimed Health Services Research Unit at St Thomas’s Hospital, advancing evidence-based approaches to health services and public health.

Supporting Excellence and Impact

Biography Series: LSE Pioneers in Social Policy

The achievements of Abel-Smith, Holland and their fellow social policy pioneers have been chronicled in an LSE biography series commissioned by the Fund – LSE Pioneers in Social Policy. Sally Sheard’s critically acclaimed biography of Abel-Smith, The Passionate Economist launched the series in 2014. John Stewart’s biography of Richard Titmuss, A Commitment to Welfare, followed in June 2020.

Make a donation

The Brian Abel-Smith Memorial Fund programme is a charitable objective of the LSE, which is itself an educational charity. This status enables UK donors to increase the value of their gifts by making a covenant to the Fund, or by giving a single sum under Gift Aid.

In the USA donations may be made through the Second Centennial Fund, Inc (a Section 501 (c)(3) organisation), with a recommendation as to their application.

To make a donation, contact LSE Philantrophy and Global Engagement (PAGE):

Email: regulargiving@lse.ac.uk

Or write to:
Brian Abel-Smith Memorial Fund
LSE Philantrophy and Global Engagement (PAGE)
Houghton Street
London WC2A 2AE (UK)