10 Downing Street announced today that Professor Patrick Sissons will become Regius Professor of Physic for the University of Cambridge, succeeding Professor Sir Keith Peters on October 1, 2005.

Professor Sissons is currently Head of the Department of Medicine at the University of Cambridge and Associate Medical Director and Governor of Addenbrooke's Hospital, part of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Professor Alison Richard, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, said:

"Professor Sissons is an excellent choice to lead the Clinical School; he brings great strengths to the position from his outstanding career, combining teaching, research and clinical practice."

"Enhancing the School's wide ranging achievements in teaching and research, at a time of great opportunity for the bio-medical sciences will be key to Professor Sisson's new role."

Professor Sissons said:

"I am delighted and honoured to have been appointed. I look forward to building on Sir Keith's tremendous achievements of the last 17 years, during which time the School of Clinical Medicine has gained one of the highest research profiles of any UK medical school."

The Regius Professorship is a Crown appointment and was founded in 1540 by Henry VIII. The holder is also Head of the School of Clinical Medicine. The Professor provides strategic leadership both within the School, and in its relationship with the NHS and other stakeholders, including the MRC, Wellcome Trust and CR-UK.

Professor Sissons joined the University in 1988, where he established an academic division of Infectious Disease within the Department of Medicine and developed the Infectious Disease Service. Since 1993, he has been Head of the Department of Medicine, which has expanded to become one of the major academic departments of medicine in the UK - rated 5* in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

He has served on numerous national grants committees and advisory bodies and his personal research has been supported by a UK Medical Research Council programme grant for 20 years. He was appointed a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 1998.

Sir Keith Peters was appointed to the Regius Professorship in 1987. His own research is in the field of immunological kidney disease and his work has been recognised by a Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians, a Fellowship of the Royal Society and Membership of the American Philosophical Society. He received a Knighthood in the 1993 New Year's Honours List.

The School has seen enormous changes during Sir Keith's tenure:

  • A massive building programme, including the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, the Hutchison CRUK Cancer Centre.
  • In September 2001, the first students were admitted to the Cambridge Graduate Course in Medicine, an innovative course for students with a first degree in a non-medical discipline.
  • An increase in annual research grant expenditure from £1.6m to £40m.

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