The University of Oxford and St Hilda's College are delighted to announce the creation of a new Chair of Clinical Therapeutics thanks to initial, generous, philanthropic support from Professor John Climax. The donation was confirmed at a signing ceremony on Friday 15th December 2017.
Through the establishment of this Chair, Oxford will be in a position to address a significant challenge facing universities today: how to translate novel therapies quickly and sustainably from laboratory to clinic.
Under their leadership, the University will establish a new Centre for Clinical Therapeutics, based within the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), headed by Professor Andrew Carr. Through this centre, the Chair will work to develop close partnerships within Oxford, and more widely with the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostics industries, in order to drive new drug treatments through early phase clinical trials.
In addition to funding the Chair, the gift will be used to endow new Fellowships in Clinical Therapeutics. This will open the doors of opportunity to many early and mid-career clinical scientists, enabling them to develop their expertise and practical experience in early phase clinical trials at Oxford. Both the Chair and Fellowships will be associated with St Hilda's College.
In respect to the creation of the new Chair and Fellowships:
Professor Climax commented: 'I am delighted that the new Chair and Training Fellowship posts will be established at the University of Oxford, so that they can begin the process of creating suitably trained clinical practitioners to re-establish the role of the UK as a world leader in clinical pharmacology, a very important field of medicine.'
Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine remarked: 'This development in Oxford is very much aligned with our national and local priorities to streamline the process of creating new medicines and medical devices of real value. I am confident that Oxford Medicine can make a significant contribution to this mission and that the new posts will be central to our success.'
Professor Andrew Carr, Head of NDORMS said: 'This fantastic opportunity will allow Oxford to transform the translation of novel therapies from bench to bedside, and to develop a new generation of clinical research leaders.'
Sir Gordon Duff, Principal of St Hilda's College remarked: 'Worldwide, there is a pressing need for new, cost-effective medicines to treat or prevent chronic illnesses. These posts will produce health gains from medical sciences at a faster speed. They will also contribute to the wider goal of reducing health inequalities. I look forward to their association with St Hilda's College.'