The Regius Professorship of Physic is one of the oldest professorships at the University of Cambridge, founded by Henry VIII in 1540. "Physic" is an old word for medicine (and the root of the word 'physician'): it does not refer to the study of physics. The Regius Professor of Physic is ex officio head of the School of Clinical Medicine at the University.
A Regius Professor is a university professor who has, or originally had, royal patronage or appointment. They are a unique feature of academia in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The first Regius Professorship was in the field of medicine, and founded by the Scottish King James IV at the University of Aberdeen in 1497. Regius chairs have since been instituted in various universities, in disciplines judged to be fundamental and for which there is a continuing and significant need. Each was established by an English, Scottish, or British monarch, and following proper advertisement and interview through the offices of the university and the national government, the current monarch still appoints the professor. This royal imprimatur, and the relative rarity of these professorships, means a Regius chair is prestigious and highly sought-after.
Regius Professorship of History is one of the senior chairs in history at the University of Cambridge. It was founded in 1724 by George I as the Regius Professorship of Modern History.
The Regius Professorships of Divinity are amongst the oldest professorships at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. A third chair existed for a period at Trinity College Dublin.
The Regius Professorship of Civil Law is one of the oldest and most prestigious of the professorships at the University of Cambridge.
The Regius Professorship of Hebrew in the University of Cambridge is an ancient academic chair at the University of Cambridge founded by King Henry VIII in 1540.
The Regius Professorship of Greek is one of the oldest professorships at the University of Cambridge. The Regius Professor chair was founded in 1540 by Henry VIII with a stipend of £40 per year, subsequently increased in 1848 by a canonry of Ely Cathedral.
Sir Isaac Pennington (1745–1817) was an English physician, of whom there are two portraits in the National Portrait Gallery.
The Regius Professorship of Greek is a professorship at the University of Oxford in England.
The School of Clinical Medicine is the medical school of the University of Cambridge in England. The medical school is considered as being one of the most prestigious in the world, ranking as 1st in The Complete University Guide, followed by Oxford University Medical School, Harvard Medical School, and Stanford School of Medicine and 2nd in the world in the 2023 Times Higher Education Ranking. The Cambridge Graduate Course in Medicine (A101) is the most competitive course offered by the University and in the UK, and is among the most competitive medical programs for entry in the world. The school is located alongside Addenbrooke's Hospital and other institutions in multiple buildings across the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
The Regius Professor of Medicine is an appointment held at the University of Oxford. The chair was founded by Henry VIII of England by 1546, and until the 20th century the title was Regius Professor of Physic. Henry VIII established five Regius Professorships in the University, the others being the Regius chairs of Divinity, Civil Law, Hebrew and Greek. The Regius Professor of Clinical Medicine is always a member of Christ Church.
The Regius Chair of Civil Law, founded in the 1540s, is one of the oldest professorships at the University of Oxford.
The Regius Professorship of Physic is a Regius Professorship in Medicine at Trinity College Dublin. The seat dates from at least 1637, placing it amongst the oldest academic posts at the university. Mention is made in the college's Register for 1598 of an annual grant of £40 from the government for a "Physitian's pay"; this is sometimes held to be the provision made for the Chair of Physic, but it is possible that it may have been in granted for medical services required by the troops stationed in Dublin.
The School of Medicine at Trinity College in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, is the oldest medical school in Ireland. Founded in the early eighteenth century, it was originally situated at the site of the current Berkeley Library. As well as providing an undergraduate degree in medicine, the school provides undergraduate courses in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, radiation therapy, human nutrition & dietetics and human health & disease, over 20 taught postgraduate courses, and research degrees.
John Warner was an English academic, cleric, and physician. He was the first Regius Professor of Physic at the University of Oxford, as well as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and the Dean of Winchester.
Christopher Green (1652–1741) was a Cambridge academic, Regius Professor of Physic from 1700 to 1741.
Ralph Winterton (1600–1636) was an English physician, academic and humanist. At the end of his life he became the Cambridge Regius Professor of Physic.
Sir John Gerald Patrick Sissons was an English physician, specialising in nephrology and virology, focusing on cytomegalovirus. He was aFRCP, FRCPath, FMedSci and Regius Professor of Physic at the University of Cambridge.
Sir Patrick Henry Maxwell is a British physician and the Regius Professor of Physic at the University of Cambridge, a position he has held since 2012. His research focuses regulation of gene expression by changes in oxygen.
Henry John Hayles Bond, FRCP was a British physician and academic. From 1851 to 1872, he was Regius Professor of Physic at the University of Cambridge.
John Haviland was a professor of medicine at Cambridge University's St John's College and a mainstay of the Cambridge Medical School through a difficult period.