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Sir Patrick Vallance awarded Royal Medal for role during COVID-19 pandemic
The Natural History Museum’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sir Patrick Vallance, has been awarded the Royal Medal, previously won by the likes of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace.
Sharing the honour with Professor Sir Christopher Whitty, the pair were given the award in recognition for their pivotal work during the UK’s response to the pandemic.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sir Patrick Vallance and Professor Sir Christopher Whitty had critical roles.
As the Government’s chief scientific advisor and chief medical officer, respectively, the pair were instrumental in advising the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers on issues relating to science during a time when it had never been more critical.
Over the course of the pandemic, Sir Patrick and Sir Christopher became household names as they addressed the country and explained the science behind the decisions that were being made.
Now, in recognition of ‘their pivotal role in ensuring that the UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic benefitted from the very best science and evidence’, the Royal Society has awarded them its Royal Medal.
‘I am deeply honoured to receive the Royal Medal from the Royal Society together with Sir Chris Whitty but the credit really belongs to all the remarkable UK scientists who provided science input to government throughout the pandemic,’ says Sir Patrick, who is now the UK’s National Technology Advisor and became Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Natural History Museum earlier this year.
‘Science advice inside government is only possible if we have a flourishing and world class academic and industrial science base in the UK and I was fortunate to receive support from colleagues across science and engineering.’
The award is being shared with Sir Christopher Whitty, who has remained in post as the UK government’s Chief Medical Officer.
‘I am hugely honoured to receive with Sir Patrick Vallance the Royal Medal for work on the scientific contribution to COVID-19,’ says Sir Christopher. ‘Thousands of outstanding scientists in the UK and internationally were part of that effort, which demonstrated the power to science to address a global emergency.’
Originally founded in 1825 by HM King George IV, the Royal Medal seeks to celebrate ‘the most important contributions to the advancement of “Natural Knowledge” in the physical and biological sciences’. As a result, it has been awarded to some of the most eminent scientists of the times.
Sir Patrick’s addition to the list is the latest in a long line of highly influential scientists associated with the Natural History Museum. These include the Natural History Museum’s first Superintendent, Sir Richard Owen, for his work on fossil cephalopods, Charles Darwin for his work on the geology of coral reefs, Gideon Mantell for his paper on Iguanodon and the Natural History Museum’s third Director, Sir Ray Lankester, for his discoveries relating to mollusc embryology.