Professor Sir John Bell
Regius Professor of Medicine, University of Oxford
Professor Sir John Bell GBE CH FRS is Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University. He served as President of the Academy of Medical Sciences from 2006 to 2011 and chaired the Office for the Strategic Coordination of Health Research until 2017. His research interests are in the area of autoimmune disease and immunology where he has contributed to the understanding of immune activation in a range of autoimmune diseases. In 1993, he founded the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, one of the world’s leading centres for complex trait common disease genetics. In 2008 he joined the Gates Foundation Global Health Advisory Board which he has chaired since 2012. He is Chair of the Rhodes Trust.
In December 2011, Sir John was appointed one of two UK Life Sciences Champions by the Prime Minister. He sits on the board of Genomics England Limited and chairs its Science Advisory Committee. In August 2017, the UK Life Sciences Industrial Strategy, written by Sir John, was published and he has co developed a similar follow up report in 2021 called the Life Sciences Vision. The reports provide recommendations to HM Government on the long-term success of the life sciences sector. Sir John held prominent roles during the Covid epidemic, including enabling the development of the testing platforms for LFTs and helping to initiate the PCR program nationally.
In June 2023, Sir John was appointed a Companion of Honour in the King’s Birthday Honours list for his work in medicine and life sciences.