Award Three Imperial researchers awarded Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowships

 

Three leading Imperial researchers have been elected to the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) for their work in biomedical and health research.

This year’s researchers are among 59 influential biomedical and health scientists to be elected Fellows of AMS.

The 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 are Professor Graham Cooke, Professor Kausik Ray, and Professor Matthew Pickering, from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London. They will be formally admitted to the AMS at an event on Wednesday 12 July.

Professor Mark Thursz, Director of the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) said: “It’s a significant achievement to be elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences and is a testament to the researchers’ outstanding expertise and impact on health research. It’s a privilege to work with so many talented colleagues, through our Biomedical Research Centre and with our partners.”

Professor Tim Orchard, Chief executive of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “I’m delighted that three of our clinical researchers have been elected as Fellows of the Academy. This is a recognition of their significant contributions to biomedical and health science. Huge congratulations to each of you on this brilliant achievement.”

Professor Jonathan Weber, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, said: “I am very pleased to see Graham, Kosh, and Matthew awarded prestigious Fellowships of the Academy of Medical Sciences. This recognises many years of dedication, achievement, and impact, as they join our Faculty of Medicine’s ever-growing ranks of AMS Fellows.”

Professor Graham Cooke

Professor Graham Cooke is an Honorary consultant at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, NIHR Research Professor within the Department of Infectious Disease at Imperial College London, and BRC Theme lead for  Infection and AMR. His work has largely focused on the impact and elimination of viral hepatitis. He currently leads a collaboration to test new treatments for hepatitis C in Vietnam, as well as the Lancet journals commission on accelerating the elimination of viral hepatitis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Professor Cooke played a key role in Imperial’s world-leading research in surveillance and testing, and clinical diagnostics. This included acting as clinical-lead on the development of the COVIDnudge diagnostic test, as well as a principal investigator for the REACT studies, which recruited over 3 million people in the UK for self-testing studies for Covid-19.

Professor Cooke said: “I am very grateful to have been elected to the Academy’s fellowship. I have been fortunate to work alongside fantastic colleagues and collaborators, both in the UK and overseas. I am grateful for their support, reflected in this award. I have long admired the work of the Academy and look forward to contributing to the promotion of medical research at this critical time.”

Professor Kausik Ray

Professor Kosh Ray is an Honorary consultant cardiologist at the Imperial College NHS Trust and Professor of public health within the School of Public Health at Imperial College London. His research has focused on the design, development and delivery of large-scale clinical trials for new lipid-lowering therapies.

Professor Ray’s work has led to changes in American and European medical guidelines and his work on statins and diabetes risk led to a global label change for statins by drug regulators in the United States and Europe. He continues to lead international studies assessing treatments for an inherited cholesterol condition (founding the familial hypercholesterolemia studies collaboration across 72 countries), as well as studies of cardiovascular risk in the UK.

Professor Ray said: “I am deeply humbled and honoured to become a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, following luminaries from Imperial and around the UK. I have spent my entire life focused on finding ways to prevent and manage the world’s number one killer (cardiovascular disease) and there is much more still to do.”

Professor Matthew Pickering

Professor Matthew Pickering is Professor of rheumatology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, clinician scientist in the Department of Immunology and Inflammation at Imperial College London, and BRC Theme lead for Immunology.

Professor Pickering’s work focuses on the complement system, a component of the immune system. His group has achieved international recognition for its work unpicking the relationship between uncontrolled complement activation and kidney disease.

Professor Pickering said: “I am honoured to be elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences and have the opportunity to contribute to the valuable work that it does.”

Commenting on this year’s batch of new Fellows, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Professor Dame Anne Johnson, said: “These new Fellows are pioneering biomedical research and driving life-saving improvements in healthcare, from understanding the spread of infectious diseases to developing mental health interventions. It’s a pleasure to recognise and celebrate their exceptional talent by welcoming them to the Fellowship.”

Find out more about the Academy of Medical Sciences.