Science Writing Symposium
January 21, 8 p.m.
 
Robert Winston
 
Robert Winston is Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College, London University, and Director of the National Health Service (NHS) Research and Development for Hammersmith Hospital NHS Trust. His research has focused on gynecological microsurgery and reproductive medicine, particularly endocrinology, IVF and reproductive genetics. His group pioneered preimplantation genetic diagnosis, including techniques to help families with genetic disorders to produce healthy children. Recent work includes transgenic technology in a mouse model, abnormalities arising in human gametes during meiosis, and in vitro egg maturation and gene expression during oocyte and embryo culture. He has written several books and over 300 scientific publications in learned journals, including Nature, Science, New England Journal of Medicine, and Lancet. He currently holds six patents.

As a member of the House of Lords, Professor Winston speaks regularly on education, science, medicine, and the arts. He often writes about science for the general public and has written or hosted many science programs for the BBC and the Discovery network, including "Making Babies," "The Human Body," "Secret Life of Twins," "The Superhuman," and "Walking with Cavemen." These productions have received awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, an Emmy nomination, a Peabody award, and other accolades. Additional awards include research fellowships and honors for contributions to surgery. Winston was Gold Medalist for the Royal Society of Health in 1998 and received the British Medical Association Gold Award for Medicine in the Media and the Faraday Gold Medal from The Royal Society in 1999. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, holds honorary doctorates at six universities, and is President-elect of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.