David John Weatherall

Research focuses on human genetic disease, particularly the thalassaemias which are the commonest single gene disorders in man. Over the years these conditions have been characterized at the clinical, cellular and molecular level and their frequency in many of the developing countries where there are so common has been determined and related to heterozygote advantage against malaria. Because this field was once of the first to exploit the methods of molecular biology for clinical problems it led to the development of the Institute of Molecular Medicine in Oxford, and the first research institute to be devoted to the application of the tools of molecular biology to a braod spectrum of clinical disease. In addition to this research work he has, as Regius professor of Medicine in Oxford, helped to develop a major international medical school and written widely both in his research field and on matters relating to general internal medicine, and medicine and society.