About Simon Poole
Simon Poole MBBS DRCOG FBMA MIANE is a Cambridge-based medical doctor, author, communicator and consultant and is an internationally renowned authority on the science and application of the Mediterranean Diet and lifestyle.
Simon is based in Cambridge, United Kingdom and has been involved in research and teaching with the University of Cambridge. He has been a member of the British Medical Association Public Health Committee and was awarded Fellowship of the Association in 2019 for services to the BMA. Simon is also by invitation, a lifetime Member of the International Academy of Nutrition Educators.
He is a Senior International Collaborator with the Cambridge Global Centre for Nutrition and Health and a founding Scientific Advisory Board Member of the Olive Wellness Institute. Simon has regularly published on the subject of nutrition, lifestyle and public health in the press and scientific journals including Nutrition and Food Science and the International Journal of Clinical Practice.
He has presented on national and international radio and television, including the BBC programme Nadiya’s Family Favourites. Conference addresses have included presentations at institutions such as the National Association of Primary Care, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the International Congress of the European Society of Cardiology, the Italian Trade Commission, the Fine Food Fair at OIympia, the Institute of Health Sciences of the USA and the Boston Common Ground Convention.
Simon was co-organiser and chair, in association with the University of Florence, of the Food Values conference series at the Vatican Pontifical Academy of Sciences. He is a regular guest lecturer for Viking Ocean Cruises.
Simon has taught at the London Olive Oil Times Sommelier course, the London International Olive Oil Competition and presented at the North American Olive Oil Association Conference, as well as the World Olive Oil Exhibition in Madrid, the World Olive Health Awards in Malaga and the Old Parliament in Athens, receiving special commendation awards for contribution to the promotion of the Mediterranean Diet and communication of the health benefits to the public.
His first book The Olive Oil Diet was published in 2016. Co-authored with Judy Ridgway, The Olive Oil Diet was awarded the International Gourmand Prize for the World’s Best Mediterranean Cuisine Book and was named the National Best Diet Book. To date it has been translated into Spanish, Turkish and Bulgarian.
Simon's second book, The Real Mediterranean Diet, published in 2021, is an exploration of the value that the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle can bring to everyone, young and old. From its origins in Ancient Greece to the modern day understanding we now have of its benefits, this book joins the dots to show the power and benefits of the Mediterranean diet.
Simon was co-organiser and chair, in association with the University of Florence, of the Food Values conference series at the Vatican Pontifical Academy of Sciences. He was author of the Vatican Library document Proceedings of the Conference of Food Values; The Renaissance of the Mediterranean Diet and its Significance in a 21st Century World.
