Dr Jonathan Sheffield receives honorary fellowship

The Faculty is the professional membership and standard-setting body for pharmaceutical physicians. From time to time it awards Honorary Fellowships to eminent people, both medical and non-medical, who have made an exceptional contribution in the field of pharmaceutical medicine. Dr Sheffield was cited for the award for his contribution in the area of clinical research delivery.

Dr Sheffield is a long-standing advocate of the role of clinical research in improving patient care. This career-long commitment carries through to his most recent role as chief executive of the NIHR Clinical Research Network, where he is spearheading a programme to improve the delivery of clinical trials across the NHS in England, and increase the opportunities for patients to participate in high-quality research studies on a national scale. The Network was responsible for recruiting more than half a million NHS patients onto research studies last year.

The Honorary Fellowship was presented to Dr Sheffield at the AGM of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine' on 23 November 2011. Professor Dame Sally Davies (the Chief Medical Officer), Sir Iain Chalmers (editor of the James Lind Library) and Dr Jean-Paul Deslypere (one of the world's leading figures in endocrinology and clinical research) were also recipients at the same event.

Speaking about the Fellowship, Dr Sheffield said, "I am absolutely delighted to have been granted this Honorary Fellowship, which is testimony to the work and ongoing success of the NIHR Clinical Research Network. The system we have developed here in England is, in many ways, the envy of the world, and to have recognition for its achievements from the Faculty is indeed an honour."