For the last 15 years Professor Ian Philp, CBE, has been the Marjorie Coote Professor of Health Care for Older People at the University of Sheffield and an Honorary Consultant Physician at the Northern General Hospital, Sheffield. Prof Philp was awarded the CBE for services to health care and older people in the Queen?s Birthday Honours list last year.

He established the Sheffield Institute for Studies on Ageing which won, for the University of Sheffield, the Queen?s Award for Higher Education in 2000, for research into improving the quality of life of older people.

In his additional new role as an honorary professor at the Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, Prof Philp will continue to pursue his research interests in improving the lives of older people through better assessment and response to their health and care needs.

Prof Philp was also the National Clinical Director - or "Tsar" - for Older People in the Department of Health from 2000 to 2008, leading the development and implementation of the National Service Framework for Older People. He is also currently the Parliamentary spokesperson for the British Geriatrics Society.

Prof Philp?s NHS duties include hospital care for frail older people. His team won the UK Hospital Doctor of the Year Award (Older People?s category) in 1998.

He has led the development and implementation of innovative teaching methods in undergraduate medicine, multi-professional learning and vocational training in health care.

Prof Philp is an adviser to the World Health Organisation, and he has also passed on his expertise to governments in many countries on the care of elderly people.

He is a frequent media commentator on healthy ageing and the care of older people and was the co-presenter of the BBC1 series How To Live Longer.