Professor Sir Mark Caulfield recognised for services to medicine

Professor Sir Mark Caulfield, Vice Principal for Health and Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at Queen Mary University of London, and Director of the NIHR Barts Medical Research Centre, has been awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Medical Science for distinction in medicine from Queen’s University Belfast.

Professor Caulfield has made substantial contributions to the discovery of genes related to blood pressure, cardiovascular health, cancer and rare diseases.  He was awarded a knighthood in 2019 for his leadership of the 100,000 Genomes Project, an initiative that oversaw the sequencing of over 100,000 genomes of patients affected by rare disease or cancer. The project has already delivered life-changing results for patients and has shed light on the important role genomics can play in healthcare, paving the way for a new Genomic Medicine Service.

Professor Caulfield said:

“It’s a great honour to be recognised by Queen’s University for work that has put the UK on the map as a world leader in genomics Most importantly, with the involvement of Northern Ireland the UK NHS has offered thousands of patients new insights into the role of genomics can play in healthcare. It is particularly special to share this occasion with bright, new Queen's graduates who have undoubtedly much to offer the medical world during their careers, and I would like to wish them the best of luck.” 

Professor Caulfield was awarded his honorary degree at a graduation ceremony yesterday evening. Sarah Venning CEO of NI Water, also received an honorary degree of Doctor of Science in Economics for services to business and commerce.