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UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology celebrates achievements at Annual Address
25 November 2022
A review of the year by Professor Michael Hanna, Director of UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, followed by the Annual Address by Dame Anne M. Johnson, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, and President of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Review of the year
Professor Michael Hanna began by thanking everyone for all their work over the past two years, including impactful COVID-19 research - 25 PIs have been involved in 145 papers,听from early highly cited papers in March 2020 to apps to support patients in the stroke service.听
Professor Hanna highlighted achievements听over the past year, including successful 拢90m听renewal of UCLH BRC, and听the Dementia theme and Translational Neuroscience themes which are based at ION, Leonard Wolfson Experimental Neurology Centre's successful 拢10m NIHR CRF bid for 2022-27, and UK DRI's Quinquennial Review.听
Professor Hanna thanked the ION leadership and Professional Services team for their contributions over the past year,听and acknowledged support from the Faculty and Divisions, and all our听external听partnerships. He paid specific thanks to staff who had left ION in 2022, including Libby Bertram and Paul Whiting.听
He also highlighted听ION's impressive research output: increased peer review publications,听as well as success in the REF2021, and the highest number of听active grants including听9听grants of over 拢1m and 14听over 拢500k, and 拢15m income from Enterprise activities.
Professor Hanna听showcased wide-ranging examples of ION's research impact, including听novel therapeutic targets for ALS, MRI guided focused ultrasound, an intensive comprehensive aphasia programme, brain charts over the lifespan, the new UK DRI fluid biomarker platform, multi-stage multi-arm MS trials, gene听therapy for brain circuit disorders, the听Huntington's Disease听REF impact case study, and primary human mitochondrial disease research.听听
ION's听Science Away Day had reviewed ION's strategic plan with its emphasis on actively translating knowledge, and Professor Hanna highlighted our Translation and听Enterprise activities, supported by the new Translational Research听manager, and the Symposium which took place before this听Annual Address. He also emphasised ION's听gene therapy research, including plans for a new gene therapy accelerator centre.
Professor Hanna also gave an update on the creation of the world-class centre of excellence in neuroscience听on Grays Inn Road, including the burial of a time capsule in May 2022.
These achievements were complemented by many individual ION researchers' awards and appointments, including a knighthood for Professor Sir John Hardy, and new Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences and the British Academy, alongside success in 2022听senior and early career promotions, and a Wellcome Career Development Award.听听
Professor Hanna also highlighted听ION-wide EDI initiatives, with 12% of ION staff involved in EDI activities, as well as Educational achievements and scholarships, and听ION's sustainability initiatives, including Professor Sanjay Sisodiya's work on Climate Change and Epilepsy. He closed by听awarding听the Queen Square Essay Prize to Kanza Tariq, and introducing Dame Anne M. Johnson's Annual Address.听
Annual Address
We were delighted to welcome as the guest speaker听Dame Anne M. Johnson MD, FMedSci, FFPH, FRCP, FRCGP, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology & President of the Academy of Medical Sciences 鈥楳aking Medical Science work for everyone: What is the role of a National Academy鈥�
Dame Anne's Address focused on three strands of the Academy of Medical Sciences' strategy: Policy, People, Communications.听
She began with an overview of the Academy's role in influencing policy with an evidence based approach, including recent examples on听investment in Science, Horizon Europe, COVID-19 Winter Reports, Future of Public Health and the NHS-Academia Interface;听
Dame Anne's second strand focused on People: and the Academy's support for听the next generation of researchers, across the whole spectrum, from undergraduates onwards, including starter grants for clinical lecturers, Sustain: enabling female researchers to thrive, and the FLIER leadership programme.
In the听final strand,听Communications, she emphasised the need for meaningful PPI, including digital communications, as well as workshops and reference groups, with听initiatives such as the People's Perspective report, young adults DIVOC-91 comic book, and Departure Lounge pop-ups.听
Dame Anne ended with an overview of future challenges in supporting UK R&D, and new activities for the Academy, including cross-sector schemes, sustainability of health research,听and the UK Young Academy, and closed with an encouragement and suggestions for how attendees can get involved in the Academy's work.听
Vote of Thanks
The vote of thanks was听given by Professor Linda Greensmith, Head of Department, Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology. As a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Professor Greensmith thanked Dame Anne as the first female president of the Academy听for such a thought provoking and timely lecture. Professor Greensmith also thanked the organisers of the Symposium which preceded the Annual Address.
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