Professor Malcolm Fisk

Malcolm carries responsibility for leading and co-ordinating university activities concerned with healthy ageing. Focal to his role is the furtherance of cross-disciplinary working and the nurturing of collaborations with a wide range of stakeholders. This includes older people themselves and representative organisations - regionally, nationally and internationally.

Notable are Malcolm’s expert and advisory positions since 2010, with the World Health Organization, the European Commission, the La Caixa Foundation, the Strategic Science Fund (Canada), ANEC (the European Consumer Voice on Standardisation), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and Welsh Government. He is the former Chair of AgeCymru (2018-20), the National Partnership Forum for Older People in Wales (NPFfOP 2004-9), the Telecare Services Association (2006-10), the Telehealth Quality Group (2015-22) and Rhondda Housing Association (Early 2000s). Malcolm is a member of the Faculty of Clinical Informatics, the International Society of Telemedicine and eHealth and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Malcolm returned to academia after thirty years in both local government housing and social care, and a spell in the electronics industry. His UK research and practice experience extends from Clydebank to Carmarthen. His university positions span from Cardiff to Coventry and, prior to joining us, seven years at De Montfort University (DMU), Leicester. His foci at DMU were around responsible innovation; ICT, standards and ‘active and healthy ageing’.

Notable is his position (2021-22) as Visiting Professor at the University of Hradec Králové (Czech Republic) where he led a course on Digital Health – Theory and Practice). His expert position at NICE (on quality standards) extended for 10 years (2012-22). Welsh Government expert appointments, as well as the NPFfOP, addressed ‘housing for an ageing population’ (2015-16); and ‘tackling poverty’ (2012-15). His European Commission expert appointments were in relation to various funding calls (1990 onwards), the Echord++ medical and rehabilitation robotics programme (2015-19). He was the only UK expert appointed to the European Commission’s panel to develop their ‘Strategy on Education and Training’ (2017-20).

Most of Malcolm’s work focuses on older people, their homes, and well-being. This is always emphatically in the context of their engagement within communities and, frequently addressing issues of access to and the use of technologies. He is widely published on topics relating to such communities and how disadvantages or inequalities can be addressed. Authored publications include five books and over a hundred articles and chapters. He has given some 200 presentations including 15 keynotes at international fora.

Malcolm has reviewed and refereed for over 10 UK and international publishers and over 20 funding agencies. He is active within two COST (European) networks that relate to ‘smart and age-friendly living environments’ and the use of audio and video technologies in the context of ‘active assisted living’.