Renowned scientist and venture capitalist, Dr Gerald Chan, has been made an Honorary Professor of Translational Medicine at the University of Manchester. The appointment recognises Dr Chan’s long-standing commitment to using science to improve the health and wellbeing of society. Through Morningside, a private investment group which he set up with his brother in 1986, Dr Chan has spent his career combining science and business leadership in the world of public health.
Together with academic scientists, Morningside has started over a dozen biotech companies covering a variety of disease areas. The portfolio’s geographic footprint spans across America, Europe, China and Australia. In recent years, Morningside has been a pioneer in the digital transformation of medicine and healthcare by using data and machine learning to solve difficult problems in drug design, diagnosis of autism and neuro-degeneration, and provisioning of mental health support.
Dr Chan’s achievements in translating novel science to medicine, combined with his commitment to addressing health inequalities and the unsustainability of rising healthcare costs, will prove invaluable as he helps to shape the University’s future health research agenda.
Dr Chan said: “Throughout my career as a scientist and as an investor, translating science into practical solutions that improve human health has been my core motivation. As someone who is passionate about finding innovative and affordable healthcare solutions that address global health inequalities, I am honoured to be affiliated with a University whose commitment to real world impact is genuinely world-leading. I feel honoured to receive this recognition from The University of Manchester and look forward to partnering with the University to help shape its future research agenda.”
The University’s President and Vice Chancellor, Dame Nancy Rothwell, said: “We are extremely fortunate to benefit from Gerald’s extraordinary passion and talent, both as a business leader and scientist. His vision to translate cutting-edge science into practical, affordable solutions mirrors our own commitment to address some of the world’s most pressing health challenges. We warmly welcome Gerald to this formal position at Manchester and look forward to building on our bold research agenda that will see a step change in the health and wellbeing of communities across the world.”
Professor Graham Lord, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at The University of Manchester said: “Our faculty has a bold vision to revolutionise healthcare in a number of ways: discovering the root causes of disease; preventing and detecting disease earlier; and developing the next generation of treatments that are tailored to each patient’s individual needs. Having someone of Gerald’s eminence as a partner and critical friend on this journey will be a huge asset to the University, and we warmly welcome his ideas and input.”
