School of Medicine

Professor Peter Elwood, Honorary Professor School of Medicine, is appointed OBE, in recognition for his outstanding contribution to health. Professor Elwood is a medical epidemiologist who worked with Archie Cochrane for many years and succeeded him as Director of the MRC Unit in Wales.

Professor Elwood's Honorary Professorship enables him to continue working on issues in nutrition and health, on factors relevant to heart disease and stroke prevention, and on factors predictive of dementia. His team published the first randomised trial looking at aspirin and mortality after myocardial infarction. His interest in aspirin prophylaxis has continued, and he is first author on a recent Lancet paper on Aspirin, Salicylates and Cancer. The contribution of milk and dairy foods to health has been another major interest for the past ten years.

He also has a major commitment to the communication of research findings to the general public and the promotion of informed debate. Peter set up the University’s monthly Public Lectures on topics of concern in health care, and ran the series for the first seven years.

Professor Elwood said: "I am delighted to have been awarded the OBE and I am especially pleased that it is for services to health, rather than to medicine. Throughout my career I have focused upon the prevention, and not the treatment of disease. In 50 years of research I have published around 400 papers, covering a wide range of epidemiological topics. I have been privileged to lead a highly gifted team, and work with outstanding colleagues."

The Vice-Chancellor, Dr David Grant, said: "These awards recognise the significant contributions made by each of the recipients and I am delighted to extend congratulations to them on behalf of the entire University."