GOSH staff recognised in prestigious research prize
18 May 2023, noon
Four members of staff from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (UCL GOS ICH) have today been recognised by the Academy of Medical Sciences for their exceptional contributions to the advancement of biomedical and health science: Professor Jugnoo Rahi, Professor Ruth Gilbert, Professor Dame Lyn Chitty and Professor Mehul Dattani.
The Academy of Medical Sciences has this year elected 59 influential biomedical and health scientists to its respected Fellowship, in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the advancement of biomedical and health science, cutting edge research discoveries, and translating developments into benefits for patients and wider society.
Fellows are drawn from institutions across the UK and their breadth of expertise ranges from molecular imaging to biostatistics to public health policy. They join a prestigious Fellowship of 1,400 esteemed researchers who are central to the Academy’s work. This includes providing career support to the next generation of researchers and contributing to the Academy’s influential policy work to improve health in the UK and globally.

Academy of Medical Sciences Fellows are elected in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the advancement of biomedical and health science and cutting edge research discoveries, but, importantly for GOSH, bringing those developments to patient benefit. At GOSH, we share the Academy’s view that people should be placed at the heart of the UK health research system and we’re thrilled to see four of our expert global champions for child health at GOSH and ICH recognised in this way for the impact of their research.
We are very proud that colleagues that have contributed so substantially to our NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre have received such an honour and been recognised in this way. Huge congratulations to them all.
Many of this year’s new Fellows are tackling the most significant health challenges society faces, including global health security, climate change, health inequalities and mental health. For example, Professor Jugnoo Rahi, Consultant Ophthalmologist at GOSH and Professor of Ophthalmic Epidemiology at UCL GOS ICH, works on population research that uncovers the ethnic and socio-economic inequalities in eye health and informs clinical care and policy to reduce the impact of blindness throughout life.

Professor Jugnoo Rahi
Professor Ruth Gilbert's research at UCL GOS ICH has a strong focus on using anonymised, administrative data to address clinical and policy questions for children and families.

Professor Ruth Gilbert
Professor Dame Lyn Chitty has been based at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and UCL GOS ICH since the 1980s and is the UK’s only Professor of Genetics and Fetal Medicine. She has pioneered research into rapid and non-invasive prenatal diagnosis, offering families lower risk options to find out about the health of their unborn child.

Professor Dame Lyn Chitty
Professor Mehul Dattani is currently Head of Paediatric Endocrinology at GOSH, University College London Hospitals and UCL GOS ICH. He has an active clinical practice encompassing all areas of paediatric and adolescent endocrinology at GOSH and UCLH.

Professor Mehul Dattani
The Academy has shared that it is committed to working towards full equity of opportunity for all, embedding inclusion in the organisation, its work and the wider medical science sector. In this year’s cohort, the proportion of Fellows elected from minority ethnic backgrounds has increased to 18% (compared to 12% in 2020). It also includes the highest proportion of women experts ever elected to the Fellowship, at 39%.

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