Aston University appointed the only Regius Professor of Pharmacy in the UK

• Professor Ian Wong has been appointed Regius Professor of Pharmacy at Aston University
• The title Regius Professor is a rare honor bestowed upon a university by a monarch – a mark of the very high standards of research and teaching
• Aston University School of Pharmacy can be traced back to 1847.

Under embargo until 00:01 WIB 3 July 2023| Birmingham, England

Aston University has appointed Professor Ian Wong as the new Regius Professor of Pharmacy.

Professor Wong is a pharmacoepidemiologist. His research focuses on applying international health big data to evaluate drug use so that patients will benefit from safer drugs. He has led several large government-funded research programs in Europe, the UK and Hong Kong to evaluate the safety of ADHD medications, psychotropic drugs in children and COVID-19 vaccines.

As Regius Chair, Professor Wong will lead an international big data and pharmaceutical research collaboration between Aston University and the University of Hong Kong.

Professor Wong qualified as a pharmacist in 1992 and received his PhD from the University of Manchester in 1998 for his work at the David Lewis Epilepsy Centre. In 2002, he was appointed Founding Director of the Pediatric Pharmacy Research Center at the School of Pharmacy, University of London, and the UCL Institute of Pediatrics and Great Ormond Street Hospital, which are recognized as leading research centers in the field of pharmaceuticals. for children.

After joining the University of Hong Kong in 2011 as Head of the Department of Pharmacology & Pharmacy, Professor Wong led the accreditation of the BPharm program by the Hong Kong Pharmaceuticals and Poisons Agency. In 2015, apart from working at HKU, Professor Wong took on a dual role at UCL.

Professor Wong has also advised the Departments of Health in the UK and Hong Kong, the World Health Organization, the European Medicines Agency and the pharmaceutical industry. He has over 500 peer-reviewed papers published in leading journals including portfolio journals Nature, JAMA Network Journals, The Lancet family of journals, BMJ journals.

In recognition of his research, Professor Wong has received many awards for his work as an academic pharmacist. He was awarded the Pharmaceutical Practice Research Conference Medal of Pharmaceutical Chemists and Pharmacists from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in 2004, Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in England in 2011, Honorary Fellowship from the College of Pharmacy Practice in Hong Kong in 2013, and Fellowship from Royal Pharmaceutical Society in 2013, Fellowship from British Pharmacological Society and International Society of Pharmacovigilance in 2020.

Aston Pharmacy School at Aston University is one of only 12 institutions to be awarded the Regius Professorship by HM The Queen to mark its 90th birthday in 2016 and is the only university to hold the Regius Professorship in pharmacy.

The title Regius Professor is a rare and special award with only fourteen awards made since the reign of Queen Victoria. Historically they were limited to a handful of ancient universities in Great Britain and Ireland such as Oxford, Cambridge and Trinity College, Dublin. The title Regius Professor has been held by distinguished academics such as Sir Hugh Trevor-Roper and Sir Joseph Lister. The title of Regius Professor is a mark of the very high standards of research and teaching.

Aston University’s School of Pharmacy is recognized as one of the UK’s leading pharmacy schools and has been at the forefront of scientific advancement since 1847. Its researchers developed the $2 billion blockbuster drug Temozolomide, a leading treatment for brain tumors and creating a UK first. hospital pharmacist master program.

Professor Anthony Hilton, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the School of Health and Life Sciences at Aston University, said:

“The appointment of Professor Ian Wong as the new Regius Professor of Pharmacy at Aston University further strengthens our commitment to excellence in pharmaceutical research and education.

“The Regius Chair award for Aston University in 2016 recognizes the outstanding work of our School of Pharmacy, current and former staff members, students and alumni. So it is a great honor to have Professor Ian Wong join Aston Pharmacy School.

“His leadership and extensive research expertise will bring new opportunities and advancements to our School of Pharmacy. We are honored to have Professor Wong join our team and I am sure he will continue to inspire our colleagues and students to reach greater heights in the field of healthcare research.”

Commenting on his appointment, Professor Wong said: “I am honored to be appointed as the Regis Chair in the College of Health and Life Sciences at Aston University.

“I am proud to join a fast-growing and ambitious college that has secured significant investment to match its ambitious research program in big data research as well as strong links to industry in the life sciences sector.

“This is an exciting time to lead an international collaboration with the University of Hong Kong. Together, we will strive for even greater success in the field of health research.”

Professor Aleks Subic, Deputy Chancellor and Chief Executive of Aston University, added: “The appointment of Professor Ian Wong as the new Regius Professor of Pharmacy is testament to his outstanding international standing in pharmacoepidemiology and bioinformatics, particularly in the evaluation of treatment safety for patients using big healthcare data. global.

“His international leadership in big data and bioinformatics research will no doubt elevate the already outstanding School of Pharmacy at Aston University. We look forward to his Regius Professorial Inaugural Lecture.”