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Warwick Medical School Dean to become next President of Royal Society

The Dean of Warwick Medical School Professor Peter Winstanley has been appointed as the next President of the Royal Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Professor Winstanley will become the 51st President when he takes up the position in June 2011. He will serve a two-year term and replaces the outgoing President Professor Hazel Dockrell.

The Royal Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH) was founded in 1907 to promote and advance the study, control and prevention of disease in humans and other animals in the tropics. It plays a leading role in increasing awareness throughout the world of tropical medicine and international health issues.

Past Presidents have included Sir Patrick Manson, generally acknowledged as the father of tropical medicine, and Nobel laureate Sir Ronald Ross. Professor Winstanley said he was delighted to be following in such prestigious footsteps.

He said: “There has been steady scientific progress in our understanding of tropical diseases over the last few decades, but the burdens of ill health in resource poor settings remain enormous.  The United Kingdom is one of the major drivers for progress in this area, and the RSTMH is a vital forum, not only for UK researchers, but also for an extensive network of global collaborators.  It will be an honour to work with these people to take the Society forward.”  

Notes to editors

For more information please contact Kelly Parkes-Harrison, Communications Manager, University of Warwick, k.e.parkes@warwick.ac.uk, 02476 150483, 07824 540863