BHF Chief Scientific and Medical Officer awarded OBE in New Year Honours

Our new Chief Scientific and Medical Officer Professor Bryan Williams has been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours list for services to medicine.

The award is in recognition of the leading role he has played as a scientific and clinical leader in the UK.  

Over a 40-year career as an NHS front-line clinician and internationally leading clinical scientist, Professor Williams has led research that has changed clinical practice worldwide, helping to save and improve many lives.  

He joined us in November to set our research and medical strategy for cardiovascular research.

We are the largest independent funder of cardiovascular research in the UK, funding around £100 million of new research each year.  

Before joining our executive group, Professor Williams had a long association with the BHF, with much of his research funded by us.  

Professor Williams is also Chair of Medicine at University College London (UCL), and an NHS consultant at University College London Hospitals where until recently, he was Director of the NIHR University College London Hospitals (UCLH) Biomedical Research Centre, UCLH Director of Research, and a Senior Director and Board Member at UCLH.

'Richly deserved'

Prof Williams said: “I am delighted to receive this honour, which is a tribute to the many talented colleagues I have been fortunate to have worked with during my career so far. I want to thank them all, as well as my family, for their incredible support over many years.  

“In this next exciting new chapter of my career, as the BHF’s first Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, I am determined  to continue to help drive BHF funded research advances into new and better diagnostics and treatments to improve the outcomes of patients with, or at risk of heart and circulatory diseases.”  

Congratulating Prof Willliams on the honour, Dr Charmaine Griffiths, our Chief Executive, said: “This richly deserved award recognises Bryan’s remarkable contribution to scientific and medical life in the UK throughout his career, which has contributed to countless lifesaving advances.

"We are delighted to celebrate his achievements and his leadership of our BHF strategy to accelerate our lifesaving research and ensure millions of people with heart and circulatory diseases get the vital care and support they need.”

Knighthood for our former trustee 

Also recognised in the 2024 New Year Honours list is our former trustee, Professor John Iredale, who has been knighted for services to medical research.

Professor Iredale joined our Board of Trustees in 2016 and retired in October 2022 having completed his maximum two terms of office. 

As a distinguished academic leader, Professor Iredale provided immensely valuable advice in our research funding including major initiatives such as the BHF Data Science Centre and the competition for our largest ever single award, the £30 million Big Beat Challenge.

He also provided valuable guidance on how to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on our research funding, helping to protect the research of thousands of scientists across the UK, all whilst undertaking his role as Interim Executive Chair at the Medical Research Council.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PROF WILLIAMS