Robert Pigott spent 25 years as a correspondent for the BBC, reporting for radio, television and online from the UK and from dozens of countries across the world. As well as reporting for the BBC’s flagship news show Newsnight, he held specialist roles as environment, religious affairs, and education correspondent, particularly enjoying landing exclusive stories, being part of a close-knit team, and working under pressure to get stories on the air.
His final role for the BBC was as health correspondent, and since leaving the BBC Pigott has pursued his interest in preventive health and chronic disease. He built on his bachelor’s degree in natural sciences from Cambridge University with a master’s in clinical and public health nutrition from the Division of Medicine at University College London, a world-leading center of medical research. His dissertation was on the role of omega-3 fatty acids in inflammation.
As well as his academic focus on the links between diet and exercise, gut bacteria, and inflammation, Pigott’s interest in health encompasses the politics and social effects of health provision, and the science behind the developing epidemic of chronic metabolic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. This background, and Pigott’s belief in a critical role for health journalism in holding the health care industry to account help to shape his teaching of health communication at DePaul. His website Health-Span.org is about how to live longer in better health, and shows how to carry the fight against aging and disease to the conditions - poor diet, sedentary behaviour, stress and inadequate sleep – that are causing it.
Pigott likes to spend spare time traveling – especially to remote places – and cooking. He likes photography and wildlife, is a chess player, and, when in the UK, practices the old English art of church bell-ringing, or campanology.
If he could persuade people to change their lives it would be to get them to eat more vegetables, and the more fibre the better!