9 November 2009

WHO invite recognises Dundee's global standing

Dundee’s position as a global leader in health research has been recognised with an invitation for a University Professor to speak at a major World Health Organisation symposium in Panama this week.

Professor Andrew Morris, Director of the Biomedical Research Institute at the University of Dundee, is one of only a handful of experts invited to speak at the event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the WHO’s Advisory Committee on Health Research.

'This is a real honour and for Dundee to be represented in a very select band alongside the likes of Harvard shows the sort of impact we are having here and across the world,' said Professor Pete Downes, Principal of the University.

The symposium is both celebrating the past 50 years of the committee’s work and also looking forward to the next 50 years. Professor Morris will deliver a lecture titled 'Informatics - the future catalyst for personalised medicine and population health?'.

Informatics is an increasingly important area of health research and one in which Dundee, and Scotland as a whole, is playing a leading role. It involves the collection and analysis of anonymised patient records on a mass scale, which are then subjected to statistical analysis to spot trends and patterns in public health. This, linked to advances in genetics, can give tremendous insights to how diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease can be best treated.

'In Tayside we have an excellent track record in developing this kind of record analysis - for instance we have some of the best information in the world relating to diabetes patients,' said Professor Morris, who is also one of Scotland’s senior clinicians in diabetes. 'We have to thank the public for the role they have played in this, because without them we would have very little to work with.'

'I am proud that we are turning their valuable help into research that will have benefits across the world, and that it is recognised at major conferences such as this week’s event in Panama.'

The WHO symposium - 'A Fifty Year Journey form Medical Research to Research for Health - Lessons Learnt and Visions for the Future’ - takes place in Panama City on Wednesday, November 11th.

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk
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