Sir Malcolm Grant is chairman of NHS England, a branch of the National Health Service, the United Kingdom’s publicly funded health care system. He’s also chancellor of the University of York and a former president of University College London. Before joining a Zócalo panel discussion about how different countries approach health care—“Should Health Care Systems Be National?”—he talked in the Zócalo green room about the tiny New Zealand town where he grew up, and the 44 years it took for him to lose his Kiwi accent.
What’s your healthiest habit?
Walking. I live right in the middle of London, so I walk to my office.
What’s your least healthy habit?
Probably coffee. I overdose every day.
Describe your hometown, Oamaru, New Zealand, in three words.
“A tiny town.” It’s a coastal town. The population was about 13,000 when I was a child. The population today? 13,000.
When was the first time you visited the United Kingdom?
In 1972. I had a one-way ticket. I got a lectureship. I thought I was only going to stay for a year.
What’s your favorite accent in English?
I think England’s. I was born with a New Zealand accent, and it has taken 44 years for that to disappear. Whenever I go back to New Zealand, though, my accent suddenly returns.
What’s the strangest animal you’ve ever seen in person?
I’d love to say an aardvark, but I’ve never seen an aardvark in person.
I read that you once shaved off your moustache for charity. Was that the last time?
Yes. It was for a charity event that’s run every year in the U.K. that raises funds for children in need.
You’re an honorary member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. What is the Royal Town Planning Institute?
It’s about urban planning. I used to study planning, property, and environmental law. And in the NHS, we try to figure out how to work with planners and developers on creating healthy new settlements.
If you could live anywhere in the United States, where would you live?
Arizona. I started coming here at the invitation of [Arizona State University] President [Michael] Crow two or three years ago. I’m really taken by it.
Do you have a favorite knight?
Judi Dench is my favorite dame, the equivalent of a knight for a woman.