Royal Society of Medicine names new honorary fellows

The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) will award honorary fellowships to leading figures in healthcare this summer. 

The recipients are named today for the first time. They are: 

• Baron (Victor) Adebowale CBE, Chair of the NHS Confederation and former Chief Executive of the social care enterprise Turning Point 
• Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, a clinical psychologist and director of the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge 
• Major General Timothy Hodgetts CB, Surgeon General of the United Kingdom Armed Forces 
• Professor Martin McKee CBE, professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 
• Professor Dame Robina Shah, a British psychologist who is an expert in patient care and has partnered with UK medical schools to create patient-centred education 
• Professor Irene Tracey CBE, a neuroscientist and vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford 

The RSM will also award its Gold Medal to Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manchester and chair of the Russell Group of universities. She will receive her award at a later date. 

These will be the RSM’s first new honorary fellows since 2021, when several were awarded at a ceremony which coincided with the formal inauguration of Professor Roger Kirby as RSM President.  

The new fellows will be inducted at a special ceremony on 23 July 2024, when Professor Gillian Leng CBE takes over as RSM President. In 2023, Professor Leng became the first person to be elected as RSM President by a vote of the membership. 

The RSM has awarded honorary fellowships throughout its history to celebrate and recognise those who have made outstanding contributions to healthcare. Previous recipients include His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, in recognition of his charitable work.