Two Christ Church Senior Associate Research Fellows elected Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences

All electees were selected for their exceptional contributions to the advancement of medical science through innovative research discoveries and translating scientific developments into benefits for patients and the wider society.

Professor Sarah Gilbert of the Jenner Institute (Nuffield Department of Medicine) becomes a Fellow for her leading role in the development and design of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, alongside pioneering work to develop vaccines for other life-threatening diseases with pandemic potential including influenza, Nipah, Lassa and MERS. 

She oversaw the development of the ChAdOx1 viral vector that provided the platform technology for such a rapid vaccine development effort.

For his co-leadership of ground-breaking research into Covid-19 immune response, Professor Graham Ogg of the Radcliffe Department of Medicine (within the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine) is honoured as a Fellow. 

As well as demonstrating that individuals with mild COVID-19 had a different pattern of T cell response when compared to those with more severe infection, he also continues to lead research into the role of human cutaneous immune responses in mechanisms of disease, treatment and vaccination.

Professor Dame Anne Johnson PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: ‘The last year has clearly demonstrated the power and prowess of UK biomedical science, and I am proud of how many Fellows, new and old, have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 response in the UK and globally.

‘Although it is hard to look beyond the pandemic right now, I want to stress how important it is that the Academy Fellowship represents the widest diversity of biomedical and health sciences. The greatest health advances rely on the findings of many types of research, and on multidisciplinary teams and cross-sector and global collaboration.’