Professor Waseem Qasim named in list of leading global health leaders

Professor Waseem Qasim, Consultant at GOSH and Professor of Cell and Gene Therapy at University College London has been named in TIME magazine’s 2026 TIME100 Health List of the World’s Most Influential Leaders in Health.

TIME Magazine describes the list as “spotlight(ing) the 100 most influential leaders in health this year. As the global order has shifted, these titans, innovators, leaders, pioneers, and catalysts have pushed new ideas—from gene therapies to regulatory agencies—ahead to build healthier populations around the world.”

Professor Qasim has spearheaded a number of groundbreaking treatments and world-firsts at GOSH. He led the research that delivered the world’s first use of gene edited cells to treat leukaemia and has developed improvements to this field through the use of CRISPR and emerging technologies.

More recently he has led multi-disciplinary teams at GOSH with Dr Robert Chiesa and Dr David O’Connor at GOSH and Dr Christos Georgiadis at UCL, which delivered the first therapeutic use of base-editing to treat relapsed T-cell leukaemia.

Professor Qasim said: "I feel incredibly privileged to be included in TIME's health list this year, but this is really down to the work of the amazingly dedicated teams that pull together to find new ways to help patients.

“I want to extend a huge congratulations to Alyssa, too, who has also been named in the list. We couldn’t do the work we do without people like her. They put their trust and faith in us to push the boundaries of science when they know there is no guarantee of success.

"Our thoughts are also with all the families who are not as fortunate and are looking to science to offer them hope for the future - we know there's more work to be done."

Chief Executive from GOSH, Matthew Shaw, said: “This recognition is a powerful tribute to Alyssa’s extraordinary courage and to Professor Qasim’s unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of science in the service of children. Waseem’s research continues to turn hope into reality for families facing the most devastating diagnoses.

“We are immensely proud of the huge variety of teams that work together for Alyssa, and young people like her, to make a real difference to lives around the world.”

The full list and related tributes appear in the 2/23 issue, available on newsstands on Friday, February 13, 2026, and now at http://time.com/time100health.