1 December 2009

Order of the Thistle for University Chancellor Lord Patel

Lord Patel of Dunkeld, chancellor of the University of Dundee, has been appointed a Knight of the Order of the Thistle in recognition of his contribution to Scotland.

Lord Patel (71) will formally be installed in the order next summer, and is the first Scottish Asian to have the honour bestowed upon them. The Order of the Thistle is the highest honour in Scotland and, in the UK, is second only to the Order of the Garter.

Lord Patel said he was delighted to receive the order, which honours Scottish men and women who have held public office or who have made a significant contribution to national life. He added, 'I am much humbled, and feel greatly honoured by her Majesty giving me this award.'

Lord Naren Patel was born in Tanzania in 1938 and studied medicine at the Queens College, St Andrews, now the University of Dundee. He graduated in 1964, and went on to work at Ninewells Hospital for over 30 years.

His academic and clinical interests were in the field of high-risk obstetrics, and he published papers on pre-term labour, foetal growth retardation and obstetric epidemiology.

He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, honorary Fellow of several Royal Colleges in the UK, Ireland and overseas, and honorary doctorates in the UK and overseas.

During his career, Lord Patel served as the President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologistds and led a number of other professional bodies. He was knighted in 1997 and was made a peer two years later.

In the House of Lords, Lord Patel has been a member of the Science and Technology Committee, and is currently Chairman of the UK Stem Cell Oversight Committee, UK Stem Cell Network and Chairman of the National Patient Safety Agency of England and Wales.

Lord Patel is patron of a number of charities, a board member of several others, and is closely involved in developing centres for training and treatment in Africa for obstetric fistulas.

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Grant Hill
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