A Swansea University public health expert has been honoured by the prestigious Academy of Medical Sciences.
Professor Ronan Lyons, Clinical Professor of Public Health at Swansea University Medical School and one of the two Directors at Population Data Science, is one of 60 outstanding biomedical and health scientists admitted to the Academy’s influential Fellowship.
The new Fellows have all been recognised for their remarkable contributions to biomedical and health science and their ability to generate new knowledge and improve the health of people everywhere.
Professor Lyons’s research focuses on the use of health information to support the targeting and evaluation of health and non-health service interventions to improve prevention, care and rehabilitation.
During the pandemic, his team have used insights from the rich health data in SAIL Databank to support policy decisions to protect the public, including providing intelligence to the Welsh Government's Technical Advisory Group and subsequently feeding into the UK's SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies).
Professor Lyons said: “I am delighted and honoured to be selected as a Fellow by the Academy of Medical Sciences. This undoubtedly reflects the widespread appreciation of the contribution research conducted using the SAIL Databank make to individuals and society.
“It is also recognition of the fantastic team science approach in Population Data Science at Swansea University and our dedication to the advancement of health research through our many collaborations across the UK and around the world.”
The Academy of Medical Sciences is the independent body in the UK representing the diversity of medical science. Selected from 366 candidates from across the UK, the 60 scientists chosen marks the highest number of new Fellows ever elected.
Academy President Professor Dame Anne Johnson said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome these 60 experts to the Fellowship to help to address the major health challenges facing society.
“The diversity of biomedical and health expertise within our Fellowship is a formidable asset that in the past year has informed our work on critical issues such as tackling the Covid19 pandemic, understanding the health impacts of climate change, addressing health inequalities, and making the case for funding science.
"The new Fellows of 2022 will be critical to helping us deliver our ambitious 10-year strategy that we will launch later this year.”
The new Fellows will be formally admitted to the Academy next month.