Prestigious academy elects Fuse academic Clare Bambra to its Fellowship

The Academy of Medical Sciences elected Professor Clare Bambra, a Fuse Senior Investigator based at Newcastle University, to its prestigious Fellowship at a ceremony in London on Wednesday 9 July 2025.

Professor Bambra was honoured for her outstanding contributions to medical science, pioneering research on health inequalities, and her commitment to translating evidence into real-world benefits for patients and communities.

Her work reflects the Academy’s mission to foster an open and progressive research environment that improves health for all.

‘Reducing health inequalities’

Professor Bambra’s internationally recognised research focuses on understanding and addressing health inequalities. She provided expert evidence to the UK COVID-19 Public Inquiry and has led major studies on the social and structural determinants of health.

She is an NIHR Senior Investigator, an Elected Member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, an Elected Fellow of the UK Faculty of Social Sciences, and an Honorary Fellow of the UK Faculty of Public Health.

A founding co-Director of Health Equity North, Professor Bambra leads multiple large-scale collaborations, including a Wellcome Trust-funded project examining the North–South health divide.

Internationally, she serves on WHO Europe’s Scientific Advisory Group on Health Equity and is a senior investigator in CHAIN: the Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research, based at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

With over 20 years of teaching experience, she also supervises postgraduate research on health inequalities at Masters and PhD level.

Clare, Professor of Public Health at Newcastle University, said:

"I am delighted to be made a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. I want to thank my colleagues at Newcastle University, and across the wider North East health and care system, who have helped me achieve this."

‘Exceptional health scientists’

The Academy has elected 54 exceptional biomedical and health researchers to its 2025 Fellowship cohort. Fellows are selected for their excellence across a broad range of disciplines, from public health and clinical medicine to genomics, neuroscience, and social science.

They join an esteemed body of over 1,450 Fellows who help shape health research and policy in the UK and globally, and mentor the next generation of scientific leaders.

This year’s cohort reflects the Academy’s ongoing commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion within its Fellowship.

Among the new Fellows, 41% are women. Black, Asian and minority ethnic representation has reached 20% as the Academy continues working on improving the diversity of its Fellowship.

Professor Andrew Morris, CBE FRSE PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said:

"It is a privilege to welcome these 54 exceptional scientists to our Fellowship. Each new Fellow brings unique expertise and perspective to addressing the most significant health challenges facing society."

Last modified: Fri, 11 Jul 2025 11:08:02 BST