London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Professor Rashida Ferrand and Professor Alison Grant from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) have been elected as new Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

They are among 58 scientists who have been recognised for their exceptional contributions to biomedical and health research, and translating developments into benefits for patients and wider society. Both were chosen for the significant impact they have made on international health.

Rashida Ferrand, Professor of International Health at LSHTM, is an epidemiologist and physician based in Zimbabwe, where she directs an interdisciplinary research programme, The Health Research Unit Zimbabwe (THRU ZIM).

Her research focuses on strategies to improve access to HIV testing and treatment among children and adolescents and to address complex medical needs in children growing up with HIV. She directs the CREATE PhD programme for health professionals which is training 50 doctoral UK and African students in global health.

Professor Ferrand said: “This honour has deep significance. It is a recognition of the collective efforts of the colleagues and collaborators I have the privilege to work with, and of the importance of focusing on global public health in a highly interconnected world. I am delighted to have the opportunity to learn from and contribute alongside such an illustrious community in our joint mission to improve the health of people across the world.”

Alison Grant, Professor of International Health and Dean of the Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at LSHTM, also works as an HIV doctor in London. Her research aims to reduce disease and death due to tuberculosis (TB), particularly in settings of high HIV prevalence.

She has had a senior role in major trials to prevent TB and investigate the impact of new TB diagnostic tests among large populations, as well as interdisciplinary research aiming to reduce TB transmission in health facilities. She has held a key leadership role as Dean of one of LSHTM’s three Faculties since 2019.

Professor Grant said: "I am deeply honoured to have been elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. The Academy's priorities to promote research and support researchers, bringing together people from a wide range of disciplines relevant to human health, are very important to me. I am excited to join eminent colleagues in the Academy and look forward to contributing to its work."

Professor Andrew Morris, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: “It is an honour to welcome these brilliant minds to our Fellowship. Our new Fellows lead pioneering work in biomedical research and are driving remarkable improvements in healthcare. We look forward to working with them, and learning from them, in our quest to foster an open and progressive research environment that improves the health of people everywhere through excellence in medical science.”

The new Fellows will be formally admitted to the Academy at a ceremony on Wednesday 18 September 2024.