The Academy of Medical Sciences is an organisation established in the UK in 1998. It is one of the four UK

National Academies A national academy is an organizational body, usually operating with state financial support and approval, that co-ordinates scholarly research activities and standards for academic disciplines, and serves as a public policy advisors, research ins ...

, the others being the

British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...

, the

Royal Academy of Engineering The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) is the United Kingdom's national academy of engineering. The Academy was founded in June 1976 as the Fellowship of Engineering with support from Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who became the first senio ...

and the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

. Its mission is to advance biomedical and health research and its translation into benefits for society. The Academy consists of a group of around 1,400 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. its president is Professor Andrew Morris CBE FRSE PMedSci.

History

The Academy was established in 1998 following the recommendations of a working group chaired by

Michael Atiyah Sir Michael Francis Atiyah (; 22 April 1929 – 11 January 2019) was a British-Lebanese mathematician specialising in geometry. His contributions include the Atiyah–Singer index theorem and co-founding topological K-theory. He was awarded the ...

, former president of the

. 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, alongside the

and

. 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. The formation of the Academy occurred against a backdrop of increasing fragmentation and specialisation within the medical profession. The Academy merged with the Novartis Foundation in 2008, and moved to a dedicated headquarters building at 41 Portland Place in October 2010. This building provides office space for its staff members, and has rooms for events and conferences.

Activities

Policy

Areas of policy work originate from within the Academy Council and wider Fellowship, and in response to consultations from

the government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

and other relevant bodies. work included reports on improving public health by 2040, using animals in research,

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

and

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess Adipose tissue, body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classifi ...

, the use of data in medical research and the use of non-human

primates Primates is an order of mammals, which is further divided into the strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and lorisids; and the haplorhines, which include tarsiers and simians ( monkeys and apes). Primates arose 74–63 ...

in research.

Careers

The Academy's National Mentoring and Outreach Scheme was established in 2002 and is supported by the

UK Department of Health The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for government policy on health and adult social care matters in England, along with a few elements of the sa ...

, the

National Institute for Health and Care Research The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is the British government's major funder of clinical, public health, social care and translational research. With a budget of over £1.2 billion in 2020–21, its mission is to "impr ...

(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.

Grants

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.

Public engagement and dialogue

The Academy's public events demonstrate recent research and provide a platform for discussion of the latest science.

Linking academia and industry

The Academy's FORUM brings together biomedical scientists from academia and industry. As well as hosting its own conferences and events, the Academy has made its headquarters at 41 Portland Place available on a private hire basis for industry and commercial events and conferences.

Fellowship

Fellows Room Academy of Medical Sciences

, the Academy has 1416 Ordinary Fellows 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. Up to 48 new Fellows are elected to the academy each year. Eight Sectional Committees spanning the range of medical sciences scrutinise candidates and make recommendations to Council for election. 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". Election is often described as "prestigious". Past and present Honorary Fellows include: *

Chen Zhu Chen Zhu (; born August 17, 1953) is a Chinese hematologist and molecular biologist who has served as the president of the Red Cross Society of China from 2015 to 2024. He previously served as vice chairman of the National People's Congress S ...

Minister of Health, Ministry of Health, China; *

Sydney Brenner Sydney Brenner (13 January 1927 – 5 April 2019) was a South African biologist. In 2002, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with H. Robert Horvitz and Sir John E. Sulston. Brenner made significant contributions to wo ...

, Distinguished Professor,

Salk Institute The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is a scientific research institute in the La Jolla community of San Diego, California. The independent, non-profit institute was founded in 1960 by Jonas Salk, the developer of the polio vaccine; among th ...

; *

François Gros François Gros (; 24 April 1925 – 18 February 2022) was a French biologist and one of the pioneers of cellular biochemistry in France. His scientific career concerned genes and their role in regulating cellular functions. Career François Gro ...

, Permanent Secretary of ‘

Académie des Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (, ) is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French Scientific method, scientific research. It was at the forefron ...

’,

Institut de France The ; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the . It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute manages approximately ...

; * William Castell LVO FCA, President & CEO, GE Healthcare; * Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi Director, Unité de Régulation des Infections Rétrovirales,

Institut Pasteur The Pasteur Institute (, ) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax and rabies. T ...

and

Nobel Laureate The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in th ...

; * Sir Andrew Witty Chief Executive Officer, GSK. Some of its members are retired and are no longer active in research.

List of presidents

* 1998–2002 Peter Lachmann (

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

) * 2002–2006 Keith Peters (University of Cambridge) * 2006–2011 John Irving Bell (

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

) * 2011–2015

John Tooke Sir John Edward Tooke (born 4 March 1949) is the Head of the School of Life & Medical Sciences at University College, London. He formerly worked at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry where he was the Inaugural Dean, and of the P ...

(

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

) * 2015–2020 Sir Robert Lechler (

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

) * 2020–2024 Dame Anne Johnson (

) * 2024–present Andrew Morris (

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

)

Honours

The Academy of Medical Sciences presents numerous awards and lectures and medals to recognise significant achievements within the field of medical science.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Academy Of Medical Sciences * Medical research institutes in the United Kingdom Scientific organizations established in 1998 1998 establishments in the United Kingdom Academic organisations based in the United Kingdom Medical associations based in the United Kingdom