The Woolmer lecture is dedicated to the contribution that Professor Ronald Woolmer made to the formation of a multidisciplinary approach to biomedical engineering.
Professor Chris Hopkins will give the Woolmer lecture in October 2026
Professor Chris Hopkins is a nationally recognised healthcare science leader across the UK healthcare system. A Consultant Clinical Scientist with an international reputation in healthcare innovation and translational research, he has led initiatives spanning diagnostics, medical technologies, digital health, artificial intelligence and clinical pathway change, helping to accelerate the adoption of innovation into frontline patient care.
He is Head of the TriTech Institute and Clinical Director of the Assistive Technologies and Innovation Centre, where he leads pioneering collaborations between the NHS, academia, industry and government to deliver innovation driven improvements in patient outcomes and healthcare delivery.
Professor Hopkins holds honorary chairs at Swansea University and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and advises nationally through senior roles with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and Health Technology Wales. A Fellow of four leading professional institutions, he is recognised for his sustained national contribution to healthcare science leadership, innovation and NHS transformation, including receiving the NHS England Chief Scientific Officer’s Excellence in Healthcare Science Research and Innovation Award.
Ronald Woolmer
Ronald Woolmer did his clinical training at St Thomas’ Hospital, graduating in 1932. During the war he served in the RNVR, being demobilised as a Surgeon Commander.
In 1946 he was appointed Senior Lecturer in Anaesthetics at Bristol University, and in 1957 he became the first Director of the newly-created Research Department of Anaesthetics at the Royal College of Surgeons.
Ronald Woolmer was instrumental in convening a meeting at the Royal College of Surgeons, London, of colleagues interested in the many aspects of the evolving field of engineering applied to medicine. Approximately 40 people were present at this meeting, which was held shortly after Ronald Woolmer, and Alfred Nightingale (a medical physicist) attended the founding meeting of the International Federation of Medical Electronics in Paris during 1959. It was subsequently agreed that the group should hold regular meetings, and so the Biological Engineering Society (BES) was formed with Ronald Woolmer as the first President and Alfred Nightingale as Honorary Secretary. Unfortunately, Ronald Woolmer died about two years after the formation of the BES and it was subsequently agreed that a memorial lecture would be sponsored to recognise his tremendous foresight.
Past speakers:
| 2024 |
Professor Wendy Tindale OBE: Multidisciplinary Collaboration in Technology Development Evaluation - Opportunities, Challenges and Reflections |
| 2023 | Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam MBE: Communicating Science |
| 2018 | Professor Alison Noble: Human Image Recognition, Artificial Intelligence and Shifting Perceptions of Medical Ultrasound |
| 2017 | Professor Josef Kas: Why do rigid tumours contain soft cancer cells? |
| 2016 | Professor Andrew Taylor: Can Engineering and Imaging help us design Cardiovascular devices? |
| 2015 | Professor Anthony T Barker: Transcranial magnetic stimulation - the first 30 years |
| 2014 | Dr David Keating: Medical Physics: A Gateway to Innovation |
| 2013 |
Professor Molly Stevens:Designing Biomaterials for Ultrasensitive Biosensing and Regenerative Medicine |
| 2012 |
Professor Lionel Tarassenko: Physiology-Driven Signal Analysis and Data Fusion |
| 2011 | Prof Dr Willi A. Kalender: Developments in Computed Tomography: Is sub-mSv a realistic option?” |
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2010 |
Professor Mark Tooley: Imitating the Patient |
|
2009 |
Professor Martin Birchall : Regenerative Medicine: new challenges, new hopes |
|
2008 |
Professor Clive Hahn: Bioengineering Aspects of the Lung: Models and Measurements |
|
2007 |
Professor Sir Michael Brady: Colorectal and Liver Cancer Image Analysis |
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2006 |
Professor Dennis Noble : Cardiac Modelling |
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2005 |
Dr H Gollee Centre for Rehabilitation Engineering, University of Glasgow : Assistive technologies for function restoration |