Bristol health scientist awarded prestigious Medical Research Council Millennium Medal

One of the most influential figures in modern epidemiology, Bristol’s Professor George Davey Smith, has been awarded the UKRI Medical Research Council’s prestigious award for exceptional contributions to human health.

As Director of the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, he has built an internationally recognised centre for causal inference research and trained a generation of scientists in rigorous population health methods.

Professor Davey-Smith is credited with revolutionising the use of genetic data to understand causal relationships in health, pioneering the development of techniques such as Mendelian randomisation: Using genetic variation to test the causal effects of modifiable risk factors on disease.

His work has highlighted how confounding and measurement error could mislead interpretations of observational studies. This has helped resolve major debates, such as whether HDL cholesterol or moderate drinking really protects against heart disease.

Professor Patrick Chinnery, MRC Executive Chair, said: “Professor Davey-Smith’s innovations have reshaped how we understand the mechanisms of common human diseases. By combining genetic epidemiology with the principles of causal inference, he pioneered new methods to separate cause from effect in large-scale population studies, informing health policy and intervention strategies worldwide.”

Professor Davey Smith has also made major contributions to understanding health inequalities. He was the second principal investigator of Children of the 90s, also known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a Fellow of the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences, a member of the US National Academy of Medicine, and among the most highly recognised scientists worldwide.

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Professor Davey Smith said: “It’s a great honour to receive the MRC Millennium Medal. I’ve had the good fortune to work with an amazing multidisciplinary and multinational group of colleagues over several decades, and the award reflects a collective endeavour to improve approaches to understand what causes disease at the individual and population level.”

He was presented with the MRC Millennium Medal at a ceremony this week, where he also delivered a lecture on his career and the continuing evolution of causal inference in epidemiology.

Professor Guy Poppy, Pro vice-chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Bristol, said: “This highly revered award is a fitting recognition of Professor Davey Smith’s tremendous and truly unique contributions to world-class medical research spanning 40 years.

“His tireless commitment to champion open science and data accessibility across the research community has made a hugely positive impact on human health and will continue to do so for generations to come. Professor Davey Smith is an inspiration to scientists across the world, and I congratulate him on this outstanding achievement.”

Featured image via Canva