Queen Mary Emeritus Professor awarded CBE in King’s Birthday Honours
Professor Tilli Tansey recognised for her contribution to medical history and science.
Emeritus Professor Tilli Tansey
Professor Tilli Tansey, Emeritus Professor of Medical History and Pharmacology at the William Harvey Research Institute, has been awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours 2025.
The honour recognises Professor Tansey’s remarkable contributions to the understanding and promotion of medical history and science. This follows her previous recognition with an OBE in 2014 for services to medical research and public engagement with science.
Professor Tansey began her academic career in neuroscience at the University of Sheffield, where she earned her first PhD studying the octopus brain. Her scientific career included roles at the Medical Research Council in Edinburgh and the Multiple Sclerosis Society at St Thomas’s Hospital in London. She later transitioned into medical history, completing a second PhD focused on Nobel Laureate Sir Henry Dale, before being awarded both a DSc and an honorary MD from the University of Sheffield. In 2007, she was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
In 2010, Professor Tansey joined Queen Mary University of London as Professor of the History of Modern Medical Sciences, supported by the Wellcome Trust. She later became an Emeritus Professor at the William Harvey Research Institute.
One of Professor Tansey’s most notable achievements is the creation of the Witness Seminar series, which is a oral history project that captures the first-hand accounts of key figures in modern biomedicine. These seminars have documented over forty major developments in biomedical science and are now mirrored globally. Throughout, she has amplified the ‘other voices’ of medicine, particularly laboratory technicians. All her research materials have been made freely available online, ensuring a lasting public legacy.
Reacting to the announcement, Professor Tansey said:
“I'm delighted to receive this honour for my work on the history of modern biomedicine, which was funded by the Wellcome Trust. I have been assisted for many years by dedicated research teams who have all contributed to the work that has been honoured by this award.”