Laureation Address: Sir Rory Collins FRS
Honorary Degree of Doctor of Medicine
Laureation by Professor Deborah Williamson Dean of Medicine
Friday 4 July 2025 – morning ceremony
Vice-Chancellor, it is my privilege to present for the degree of Doctor of Medicine, honoris causa, Sir Rory Collins.
Sir Rory is one of the most influential figures in modern epidemiology and clinical research. His work has fundamentally shaped our understanding of cardiovascular disease, risk reduction, and the application of evidence-based medicine at scale. Over the past four decades, his research has consistently delivered insights that have improved outcomes for patients across the world.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, Sir Rory coordinated landmark ‘mega-trials’ involving more than 130,000 patients, which demonstrated that clot-dissolving and clot-preventing therapies could more than halve mortality from heart attacks. These findings transformed emergency cardiac care worldwide and paved the way for the targeted use of non-pharmaceutical methods to open coronary arteries.
Through his leadership in the Oxford Clinical Trial Service Unit, Sir Rory has continued to show the profound value of rigorous, large-scale trials. His contributions to the evidence base for the use of statins and blood pressure lowering therapies have saved countless lives globally.
Perhaps most notably, Sir Rory has served as the Chief Executive and Principal Investigator of UK Biobank since its launch in 2005. Under his leadership, UK Biobank has become one of the most important open-access biomedical research resources in the world. The successful recruitment of more than 500,000 participants, combined with ongoing linkage to health records and biological samples, has created an unparalleled platform for discovery. It is now used by over 30,000 researchers globally and underpins thousands of high-impact publications.
Throughout his career, Sir Rory has been a steadfast advocate for scientific integrity. In an era increasingly challenged by misinformation, his work stands as a model of transparency, rigour and public value.
Now more than ever, we need leaders who uphold the principles of evidence- based medicine – those who act as a guiding north star for research that serves patients and society.
In recognition of his extraordinary service to medical science and public health, Sir Rory was knighted in 2011, elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 2015, and named among TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in health in 2024. He continues to influence global research through his commitment to collaboration, transparency and excellence.
Vice-Chancellor, in recognition of his outstanding contributions in epidemiology and clinical research, I invite you to confer the degree of Doctor of Medicine, honoris causa, on Sir Rory Collins.