Four Imperial People awarded Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowships
Four Trust researchers have been elected to the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences for their work in biomedical and health research.
The researchers are among 60 outstanding biomedical and health scientists to be elected Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) this year.
According to the AMS, the new Fellows have been recognised for their remarkable contributions to biomedical and health science and their ability to generate new knowledge and improve the health of people everywhere.
The new Fellows from Imperial College Healthcare are Professor George Hanna, Professor Iain McNeish, Professor Shiranee Sriskandan, and Professor Anthony Gordon. They will be formally admitted to the Academy on 27 June 2022.
Professor Tim Orchard, chief executive of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “I am extremely proud to see four of our staff have been elected to the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences. I would like to congratulate them all on this incredible achievement and on the recognition of their vital research.”
Professor Jonathan Weber, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, said: “It is a privilege to be able to say that six of our researchers have been elected to fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences this year. These richly deserved awards are a testament to their outstanding academic careers and the high quality of biomedical research across Imperial College in recent years.
“On behalf of the College, I would like to warmly congratulate all of these new Fellows on this public recognition of all their outstanding achievements.”
Professor Anthony Gordon, consultant in intensive care medicine at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Chair in anaesthesia and critical care at Imperial College London
Anthony Gordon is Chair in Anaesthesia and Critical Care at Imperial and an internationally recognised scientific leader in his field. His work focuses on translating research into improved care for patients with sepsis, including developing precision medicine and investigating the use of -omic techniques and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve outcomes.
Over the course of the pandemic, he has led efforts to evaluate treatments for critically ill patients with Covid-19, as UK Chief Investigator for the international REMAP-CAP trial. The innovative adaptive trial design enabled the team to test multiple interventions and demonstrate the clinical effectiveness of treatments including monoclonal antibodies, blood thinners and corticosteroids, which has ultimately led to saving thousands of lives globally.
Professor Gordon said: “I am honoured that the Academy has recognised my contributions to research in the area of critical care. I am fortunate to work with a wonderful team at Imperial and also have so many great collaborators around the world that have enabled us to improve care for critically ill patients with sepsis and Covid-19.”
Professor George Hanna, consultant upper GI surgeon and head of the division of surgery at Imperial College London
George Hanna is also the Director of the NIHR London In Vitro Diagnostic Cooperative. He leads a CRUK research programme to develop and validate a non-invasive breath test as a platform diagnostic technology to detect gastrointestinal cancers. He is also a consultant oesophageal cancer surgeon working at Hammersmith Hospital, part of the Trust.
Professor Hanna said: “The recognition by the Academy of Medical Sciences is a credit to the high quality and hard work of my research team at Imperial for whom I will be always grateful.”
Professor Iain McNeish, Professor of oncology and the head of the division of cancer
Iain McNeish’s research is focused on ovarian cancer, specifically on developing improved therapies through improved understanding of disease biology. He is also the Director of the Ovarian Cancer Action Research Centre and Cancer theme lead in the Imperial NIHR Biomedical Research Centre. Through the British Translational Research Ovarian Cancer Collaborative (BriTROC) project, he is working to understand what causes ovarian cancer to recur.
Professor McNeish said: “I am delighted (but rather surprised) to have been elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
“My main thanks must go to my research team at Imperial, who do all the hard work and with whom it is a privilege to work, and to my colleagues at Hammersmith Hospital who have done so much to support our clinical trials.
Professor Shiranee Sriskandan, Professor and honorary consultant in infectious diseases
Shiranee Sriskandan is a Professor of Infectious Diseases who works at the Hammersmith Hospital campus and in the MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology & Infection at Imperial. Her team’s work focuses on Streptococcus pyogenes, the bacterium that causes tonsillitis and scarlet fever, alongside research on invasive infections such as necrotising fasciitis, maternal sepsis, and toxic shock. The research group is aiming to understand trends in bacterial diseases to inform public health interventions.
Professor Sriskandan said: “Working at the interface between patients with acute infections and laboratory science can be challenging, but I am lucky to have had the support of many colleagues and collaborators.
“I am grateful to the Academy and hope that this fellowship will help me to increase awareness of the burden of group A streptococcal disease, both here and worldwide.”
