Page 43 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2022

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Page 43 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2022
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MOVERS AND SHAKERS



 MOVERS AND SHAKERS  RVCֱs Professor Joanne Webster


          awarded prestigious Fellowship of the

          Academy of Medical Sciences




                                                                              and indeed recognitions in my career to
                                                                              date ֱ and I could not be happier.
                                                                              ֱThe Covid-19 pandemic has clearly
                                                                              demonstrated the global impact of
                                                                              zoonotic diseases, and the importance
                                                                              of a One Health approach to help
                                                                              mitigate against this. It is a true honour
                                                                              and delight that the Academy of Medical
                                                                              Sciences has clearly placed such
                                                                              comparable recognition upon these
                                                                              ֱtropical diseases of the poorֱ, and how
                                                                              multidisciplinary disease control and
                                                                              research activities can help us together
                                                                              to achieve those critical targets in terms
                                                                              of the world sustainable development
                                                                              goals and more, both now and in the
                                                                              future. I will be forever grateful to all the
                                                                              wonderful and inspirational colleagues,
                                                                              group members, students and beyond
                                                                              who helped get me here.ֱ
                                                                              In March this year, Professor Webster
                                                                              was announced as the new Director
                                                                              of the London Centre for Neglected
                                                                              Tropical Disease Research (LCNTDR)
                rofessor Joanne Webster, Chair  Demonstrating her longstanding
                of Parasitic Diseases, was   commitment to science and the    LCNTDR is an innovative research
                made a Fellow of the Academy   betterment of society, alongside her   centre which brings together leading
         Pof Medical Sciences (FMedSci)  role at the RVC, Professor Webster is   global experts to aid the design,
          in May for her exceptional contributions   the Director of the London Centre for   implementation and evaluation of
          to the advancement of biomedical and   Neglected Tropical Disease Research   neglected tropical disease prevention,
          health research.                  (LCNTDR) and holds a Professorial   control and elimination programmes.
                                            Chair in Infectious Diseases at Imperial   The Centre undertakes cutting-edge
          Her work combines fundamental     College Londonֱs Faculty of Medicine.   research with the aim of tackling
          research with direct disease control   She is also on the Board of Directors of   diseases which affect the lives of more
          activities across humans and other   Fauna and Flora International, sits on a   than 1.7 billion of the poorest people
          animals. The Academy of Medical   number of World Health Organization   across the world.
          Sciences (AMS) is an independent   (WHO) working groups and has also led
          body which aims to advance        large-scale disease control programmes,   This appointment is further
          biomedical and health research    focusing on children and at-risk adults,   strengthening the RVCֱs links
          and its translation into benefits for   across sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.  with the LCNTDR, of which it is a
          society. Fellowships are awarded                                    founding partner. Importantly, it is
          in recognition of the ֱexcellence of   Commenting on her Fellowship,   expanding both organisationsֱ focus
          their science, their contribution to   Professor Webster said: ֱI am truly   on international One Health, which
          medicine and society and the range   honoured and humbled to have been   recognises the relationship between
          of their achievementsֱ. Nominated   elected as a Fellow of the Academy of   health and disease at the human,
          by existing Fellows and reviewed   Medical Sciences ֱ such a prestigious   animal and environment interfaces
          by eight Sectional Committees,    award for medical scientists, across   ֱ an increasingly important priority
          the FMedSci shortlist is extensively   both human clinical and veterinary   in both medical and veterinary
          reviewed before electing only 50 or   medicine. I feel this is undoubtedly one   science in which Professor
          so fellows each year.             of the proudest moments, achievements   Webster specialises.



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