Founded | 1 November 1998 |
---|---|
Type | Charitable organisation, National academy |
Registration no. | England and Wales: 1070618 |
Focus | Medical research, Health policy |
Headquarters | 41 Portland Place, London, W1B 1QH |
Area served | United Kingdom |
Membership (2023) | |
President | Dame Anne Johnson PMedSci |
Website | www |
The Academy of Medical Sciences is an organisation established in the UK in 1998. It is one of the four UK National Academies, the others being the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society. [3]
Its mission is to advance biomedical and health research and its translation into benefits for society. [4] The academy consists of a group of around 1200 Fellows elected from fields across the biomedical sciences. The academy seeks ultimately to advance medical science and improve health by investing in talented researchers, engaging people on health-related issues and providing expert impartial advice. As of April 2024 [update] its president is Dame Anne Johnson. [5]
The academy was established in 1998 following the recommendations of a working group chaired by Michael Atiyah, former president of the Royal Society. [6] A single national organisation was formed to support biomedical scientists and clinical academics working together to promote advances in medical science. It is one of the four learned academies in the United Kingdom, with the Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering and British Academy. [7] The intention of the founders was to create a national resource outside the framework of Government, with the expertise and authority to deal with scientific and societal aspects of public policy issues in healthcare. [8]
The formation of the academy occurred against a backdrop of increasing fragmentation and specialisation within the medical profession. [9] The academy merged with the Novartis Foundation in 2008, and moved to a dedicated headquarters building at 41 Portland Place in October 2010. [10] This building provides office space for its 39 members of staff, and has rooms for events and conferences. [11]
Areas of policy work originate from within the Academy Council and wider Fellowship, and in response to consultations from the government, Parliament and other relevant bodies. As of 2017 [update] work included reports on improving public health by 2040, using animals in research, diabetes and obesity, the use of data in medical research and the use of non-human primates in research.
The academy's National Mentoring and Outreach Scheme was established in 2002 and is supported by the UK Department of Health, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and NHS Education for Scotland. The programme provides one-to-one mentoring by Academy Fellows for Clinical Lecturers and Clinician Scientist Fellows. It also offers activities for Academic Clinical Fellows, Clinical Training Fellows and MB PhD students.
The academy's funding schemes focus on areas of specific and specialist need, addressing perceived shortages within key speciality areas, and international collaboration. Schemes include Clinician Scientist Fellowships, Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers and UK/Middle East Exchange Fellowships.
The academy's public events demonstrate recent research and provide a platform for discussion of the latest science. [12]
The academy's FORUM brings together biomedical scientists from academia and industry. [13] As well as hosting its own conferences and events [14] the academy has made its headquarters at 41 Portland Place available on a private hire basis for industry and commercial events and conferences. [15]
As of April 2024 [update] , the academy has 1416 Ordinary Fellows [1] drawn from fundamental biological sciences, clinical academic medicine, public and population health, health technology implementation, veterinary science, dentistry, medical and nursing care and other professions allied to medical science as well as the basic fundamental mathematics, chemistry, physics, engineering, ethics, social science and the law. The Fellowship represents a national resource in medical science, offering their time and expertise to support the academy's work. [16]
Up to 48 new Fellows are elected to the academy each year. [17] Eight Sectional Committees spanning the range of medical sciences scrutinise candidates and make recommendations to Council for election. [17] Becoming a Fellow indicates that the academy judges individuals to have made "outstanding contributions...to the progress of medical science and the development of better healthcare". [18] Election is often described as "prestigious". [19] [20]
Past and present Honorary Fellows include: [2]
Some of its members are retired and are no longer active in research.
The Academy of Medical Sciences presents numerous awards and lectures and medals to recognise significant achievements within the field of medical science. [21]
The Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a private medical school in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein operates as an independent degree-granting institution as part of the integrated healthcare Montefiore Health System and also has affiliations with Jacobi Medical Center and Yeshiva University.
St George's, University of London, legally St George's Hospital Medical School, is a public university in Tooting, South London, England, and is a member institution of the federal University of London. In August 2024, St George's will merge with City, University of London to form City St George's, University of London.
Josemir W. Sander, also known as Ley Sander, is a Professor of Neurology and Clinical Epilepsy, and the head of Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology. He is also a Professor of Neurology at West China Hospital, Sichaun University in Chengdu, China.
Translational medicine develops the clinical practice applications of the basic science aspects of the biomedical sciences; that is, it translates basic science to applied science in medical practice. It is defined by the European Society for Translational Medicine as "an interdisciplinary branch of the biomedical field supported by three main pillars: benchside, bedside, and community". The goal of translational medicine is to combine disciplines, resources, expertise, and techniques within these pillars to promote enhancements in prevention, diagnosis, and therapies. Accordingly, translational medicine is a highly interdisciplinary field, the primary goal of which is to coalesce assets of various natures within the individual pillars in order to improve the global healthcare system significantly.
A Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) or Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) or Medical Technologist (MT) performs diagnostic testing of blood and body fluids in clinical laboratories. The scope of a medical laboratory scientist's work begins with the receipt of patient or client specimens and terminates with the delivery of test results to physicians and other healthcare providers. The utility of clinical diagnostic testing relies squarely on the validity of test methodology. To this end, much of the work done by medical laboratory scientists involves ensuring specimen quality, interpreting test results, data-logging, testing control products, performing calibration, maintenance, validation, and troubleshooting of instrumentation as well as performing statistical analyses to verify the accuracy and repeatability of testing. Medical laboratory scientists may also assist healthcare providers with test selection and specimen collection and are responsible for prompt verbal delivery of critical lab results. Medical Laboratory Scientists in healthcare settings also play an important role in clinical diagnosis. An estimated 70% of medical decisions are based on laboratory test results and MLS contributions affect 95% of a health system's costs.
Lisa Feldman Barrett is a University Distinguished Professor of psychology at Northeastern University, where she focuses on affective science. She is a director of the Interdisciplinary Affective Science Laboratory. Along with James Russell, she is the founding editor-in-chief of the journal Emotion Review. Along with James Gross, she founded the Society for Affective Science.
The Cambridge Biomedical Campus is the largest centre of medical research and health science in Europe. The site is located at the southern end of Hills Road in Cambridge, England.
Philippa "Pippa" Marrack, FRS is an English immunologist and academic, based in the United States, best known for her research and discoveries pertaining to T cells. Marrack is the Ida and Cecil Green Professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Research at National Jewish Health and a distinguished professor of immunology and microbiology at the University of Colorado Denver.
Sir John Irving Bell is a Canadian-British immunologist and geneticist. From 2006 to 2011, he was President of the United Kingdom's Academy of Medical Sciences, and since 2002 he has held the Regius Chair of Medicine at the University of Oxford. He was since 2006 Chairman of the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR) but in 2020 became a normal member. Bell was selected to the Vaccine Taskforce sometime before 1 July 2020. Bell is also on the board of directors of the SOE quango Genomics England.
Translational research is research aimed at translating (converting) results in basic research into results that directly benefit humans. The term is used in science and technology, especially in biology and medical science. As such, translational research forms a subset of applied research.
Sir Edward Byrne is a neuroscientist who served as Principal of King's College London from August 2014 until January 2021. He was previously Vice-Chancellor of Monash University.
Christofer "Chris" Toumazou, CEng is a British Cypriot electronic engineer. He is perhaps best known for inventing a fast and portable means of genome sequencing, following his 13-year-old son's diagnosis with end stage kidney failure through a rare genetic mutation.
Dame Anna Felicja Dominiczak DBE FRCP FRSE FAHA FMedSci is a Polish-born British medical researcher, Regius Professor of Medicine - the first woman to hold this position, and the Chief Scientist (Health) for the Scottish Government. From 2010 to 2020, Dominiczak was the Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. She is an Honorary Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist for the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board, and Health Innovation Champion for the Medical Research Council. From 2013 to 2015, Dominiczak was president of the European Society of Hypertension. She is the current Editor-in-Chief of Precision Medicine, a new journal launched in July 2023.
Brian J. Druker is a physician-scientist at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), in Portland, Oregon. He is the director of OHSU's Knight Cancer Institute, JELD-WEN Chair of Leukemia Research, Associate Dean for Oncology in the OHSU School of Medicine, and professor of medicine.
Biomedical sciences are a set of sciences applying portions of natural science or formal science, or both, to develop knowledge, interventions, or technology that are of use in healthcare or public health. Such disciplines as medical microbiology, clinical virology, clinical epidemiology, genetic epidemiology, and biomedical engineering are medical sciences. In explaining physiological mechanisms operating in pathological processes, however, pathophysiology can be regarded as basic science.
Malini Olivo is the Distinguished Principal Scientist of A*STAR Skin Research Labs (A*SRL) where she spearheads the Translational Biophotonics Laboratory. Concurrently, she is also an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, National University Health System, NUS, Singapore; and Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, Dublin, Ireland. In 2015, she was elected by the Optical Society of America for "pioneering contribution in clinical photodiagnostics in the area of clinical spectroscopy and imaging in early cancer detection and photo-therapeutics of cancer".
Sir Stephen Patrick O'Rahilly is an Irish-British physician and scientist known for his research into the molecular pathogenesis of human obesity, insulin resistance and related metabolic and endocrine disorders.
Julie Makani is a Tanzanian medical researcher. From 2014 she is Wellcome Trust Research Fellow and Associate Professor in the Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS). Also a visiting fellow and consultant to the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, she is based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. In 2011, she received the Royal Society Pfizer Award for her work with sickle cell disease.
Roger Watson is a British academic and Honorary Professor at the University of Hull.
Jonathan S. Lewin is an American neuroradiologist specializing in medical imaging research with an emphasis on the investigation, development, and translation of new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. He is the former executive vice president for health affairs (EVPHA) and executive director of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center for Emory University, and former President, CEO, and chairman of the board of Emory Healthcare. He currently serves as professor of radiology, biomedical engineering, and neurosurgery in the Emory School of Medicine and as professor of health policy and management in the Rollins School of Public Health.