Swansea University’s recently-retired Rector of Medicine and Health, Professor Julian Hopkin, has been awarded a CBE in the New Year’s Honour List for Services to Medicine – a richly-deserved recognition for the man who brought a new approach to medical education and research to Wales.
The first of this year’s Honours, the New Year’s Honours List, has seen nearly a thousand people recommended to the Queen for an award and some three quarters are said to be local heroes, who’ve undertaken outstanding work in their communities. As “Commander of the Order of the British Empire”, CBE, Professor Hopkin will be bestowed the highest civil grade in the Order of the British Empire before Knighthood.
Speaking to the BBC earlier, Professor Hopkin (pictured left) said he was delighted the medical profession in Wales was well represented and paid tribute to his colleagues: “I’m very pleased. The award is recognition through me of the great team effort at Swansea in building a new medical school – and in innovatively building Wales’ medical education and research with the purpose of advancing medicine and people’s health in Wales and beyond.”
The recently re-named College of Medicine at Swansea University is home to many achievements across the board of medical education, research and innovation. The last year alone saw the best ever results from Graduate Entry Medicine and Genetics courses and the completion of a 330million funding package for Phase Two of the Institute of Life Science.
The Head of the College of Medicine, Professor Gareth Morgan added his congratulations: “I can’t think of a more worthy recipient for this honour. It’s typical of Julian that he has accepted it in recognition of a team effort but his inspirational leadership, his passion and his humanity have been the driving forces behind that team’s success. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude.”
For information on the University’s College of Medicine visit http://www.swansea.ac.uk/medicine/
