Eight UCL researchers have been elected Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences in recognition of their ground-breaking research and delivery of new benefits to patients.
The academics selected to join the academy’s fellowship are:
BRC supported Professor Anna David (Director, UCL EGA Institute for Women’s Health, and consultant in obstetrics and maternal/fetal medicine at UCLH) is a pioneer in prenatal therapy research, leading the team who performed the first fetal surgery for spina bifida in the UK in 2018.
Professor Christina Pagel (UCL Clinical Operational Research Unit) applies operational research, data analysis and mathematical modelling to topics in healthcare to improve patient outcomes and delivery of health care. She has been connected with the BRC-supported CHIMERA programme in critically ill adults and babies.
Professor Rickie Patani's (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and the Francis Crick Institute) lab studies diseases of the nervous system, focusing on motor neuron disease (ALS). The team uses human stem cells to uncover the earliest disease mechanisms.
Professor Jonathan Schott’s (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) research focuses on how clinical assessment, brain imaging, and markers of disease can be combined to help spot the early signs of diseases like Alzheimer’s in the brain before dementia symptoms show. He is supported by the BRC.
Professor Roz Shafran (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health) is a clinical psychologist, and is particularly known for her research on the development and evaluation of cognitive behaviour therapy for perfectionism and mental health disorders. She is a board member of the BRC Mental Health theme.
Professor Danail Stoyanov’s (UCL Computer Science and UCL Hawkes Institute) research is focused on developing surgical robotics and artificial intelligence for improving minimally invasive interventions. He is part of the BRC’s Healthcare Engineering and Imaging theme.
Professor Gregory Towers (UCL Division of Infection & Immunity) leads a lab which has received BRC support which aims to understand the molecular details of host virus interactions particularly with respect to innate immunity.
Professor David Werring (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology), whose research is BRC supported, is Head of UCL’s Department of Translational Neuroscience and Stroke and an honorary consultant neurologist. He contributes to delivering hyperacute and acute stroke care, and runs a clinical service and research programme in intracerebral haemorrhage (a type of stroke caused by bleeding within the brain) and cerebral small vessel disease (a variety of conditions resulting from damage to small blood vessels in the brain).
The academics are among 54 health and biomedical scientists elected to the academy this year, joining a fellowship of 1,450 researchers whose work for the academy includes nurturing the next generation of scientists and shaping research and health policy in the UK and worldwide.
Professor Andrew Morris, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: “It is a privilege to welcome these 54 exceptional scientists to our Fellowship. Each new Fellow brings unique expertise and perspective to addressing the most significant health challenges facing society.”
The new Fellows will be formally admitted to the Academy at a ceremony on Wednesday 9 July 2025.
