Honour recognises scientific expertise Published on: 1 June 2018 A world-leading academic from Â鶹´«Ã½ has been honoured with a prestigious award for his work in helping patients with hereditary diseases. Professor Sir Doug Turnbull has received the Galen Medal from , an organisation at the forefront of modern-day medicine and a leading player in the advancement of medical research and knowledge. The Galen medal was instituted by the Society in 1925 for valuable services or contributions rendered to the science of therapeutics. It is awarded on a yearly basis and encompasses the whole spectrum of the art of healing, from preventative medicine to surgical intervention. Professor Sir Doug Turnbull (Left) receiving his Galen Medal Honoured recipient Professor Turnbull, an expert in Neurology at Â鶹´«Ã½, has devoted his career to the treatment and research of mitochondrial disease and this accolade is in recognition of his outstanding work in this field. He cares for more than 1,000 patients and their families dealing with mitochondrial disease, a genetic disorder that at its most severe causes blindness, heart failure and ultimately death. He said: “I am honoured to be the recipient of this prestigious award from The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries. “I am delighted that our innovative research at Â鶹´«Ã½ has led to the very best care for patients with mitochondrial disease.” In 2012, Professor Turnbull’s work was recognised when he and his colleagues were awarded the coveted status, one of only a handful in the UK. As director of the Centre, Professor Turnbull has built an internationally-renowned team of clinicians and researchers, with patients opting to travel from all over the country to be under his care in Â鶹´«Ã½. While the treatments he and his colleagues at the University provide have improved the quality of life for hundreds of patients, preventing these disabling genetic diseases is crucially important for families. Certain forms of mitochondrial disease are passed down from mother to child. Mitochondrial donation, a new IVF technique developed in the Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research at the University, could offer women with the condition the chance of having healthy children. Professor Turnbull has worked tirelessly with patients, patient organisations and policy makers to champion mitochondrial donation. These efforts were rewarded when the UK Parliament voted to allow this ground-breaking treatment to be offered to patients. Professor Turnbull, an Honorary Consultant Neurologist at Â鶹´«Ã½ upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has trained more than 40 PhD students who have progressed to work in this important area at Â鶹´«Ã½ and across the globe. Significant achievement Professor Chris Day, Vice-Chancellor and President at Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “Professor Turnbull is a world-leading scientist and clinician who has dedicated his career to understanding and treating a group of diseases that blight the lives of families across the world. “He leads the hugely successful Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research at Â鶹´«Ã½ which has attracted researchers from across the world to work alongside him and his team, developing a new generation of pioneering scientists and clinicians. “Their work has turned the treatment and prevention of these devastating diseases from a theoretical dream into reality over the course of the last three decades. “It is a mark of the significance of the achievements of him and his team that Professor Turnbull has been given the Galen Medal.” Professor Turnbull is an NIHR Senior Fellow and has sat on, and chaired, several Wellcome panels/committees during his career. The Royal College of Physicians has recognised him on several occasions as he was awarded the Goulstonian Lecturer (1992), the Jean Hunter Prize (2003) and the Sims Royal College of Physicians Lecturer (2004). Share: Latest News Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Student leader drives misogyny law change A Â鶹´«Ã½ student leader has helped change the law after creating a petition to make misogyny a hate crime, which gathered over 114,000 signatures, prompting action in Parliament. published on: 12 June 2026 Freemen of Â鶹´«Ã½ see construction of new Castle Leazes The Freemen of Â鶹´«Ã½ and other key stakeholders have become an indelible part of new student accommodation at Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s Castle Leazes. published on: 12 June 2026 Facts and figures
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