Rare Waxworks on Show with Imperial College London
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| 3 £50 million raised | 4 World’s leading judges at King’s | 11 Profile: Professor Denise Lievesley | 23 Art at King’s CommentThe College newsletter Issue no 189 | September 2009 Sixth MRC Centre The Centre will investigate the damage our modern living and working environment could be doing to our health. KING’S HAS BEEN AWARDED A SIXTH looking forward to working with MRC Centre in collaboration colleagues at Imperial College Rare waxworks on show with Imperial College London. to address a range of challenging The new £5 million MRC- environmental issues which HPA Centre for Environment contribute to the chronic disease and Health will investigate the burden in the 21st century.’ damage that our modern living The Centre is core funded by and working environment could the Medical Research Council be doing to our health. (MRC) and the UK’s Health Protection Agency (HPA), with the two universities funding Analyse people’s health new posts and studentships. Its and how it is affected researchers will be working with the HPA so that if their work by the environment reveals a new health risk, the HPA can take account of the Researchers at the Centre will Centre’s findings in its advice analyse the health of people to Government. across the UK and how this The work that will be is affected by aspects of the undertaken at King’s will environment in which they live focus primarily on the impact and work, from traffic fumes and of poor air quality on people’s noise from overhead aircraft, to health, building on the existing chemicals in the environment activities of the Environmental such as the by-products of Research Group and Lung disinfection in the water Biology Group. London is a supply. The research will focus prime location to study the particularly on vulnerable impact of air pollution on health. people and how environmental Poor air quality is thought to factors outside their control reduce life expectancy by an could be increasing their risk average of eight months, and of respiratory problems, heart is responsible for up to 3,000 disease and cancer. premature deaths in London Professor Frank Kelly, each year; far more than Director of the Pharmaceutical attributable to traffic accidents. Science Research Division Traffic pollution contributes to and Environmental Research respiratory and cardiovascular Rare 19th century anatomical waxworks from the Gordon Museum at King’s by Group at King’s, who is the diseases and is a major player Joseph Towne (including the above of a young man with skin lesions as a result of Deputy Director of the new in the increasing incidence of syphilis) have gone on display in a new exhibition, Exquisite Bodies, at the Wellcome Collection in Euston. For more details see page 21. Centre, said: ‘We are very much childhood asthma. continued on page 2 News Sixth MRC Centre for King’s continued from page 1 Professor Kelly’s aim for the new The team already monitors air in one of King’s other MRC in childhood almost certainly Centre is to bring scientists from quality across the 33 boroughs Centres, the Asthma and Allergy persists, making lifelong lung different but complementary via the London Air Quality Research Centre led by Professor problems – and even early backgrounds and disciplines Network which has over 130 Tak Lee. Professors Kelly and death – more likely. together to enable them to work monitoring sites. ‘Here in London Lee are studying children in The findings will help to inform on the major public health we are, quite literally, in the Tower Hamlets who attend Government policies nationally issue of urban traffic pollution. middle of a huge experiment,’ schools close to main roads. and internationally as well as Plans include conducting explains Professor Kelly, who has answer important questions epidemiological studies involving been instrumental in advising about asthma. Professor Kelly large numbers of people living Government on ways to reduce Findings will help inform is also keen to understand how and working in London and pollution in London. One Government policies individual pollutants cause health detailed analysis of the pollutants solution has been to introduce a problems, so that changes can be they are exposed to during their Low Emission Zone that deters made to fuels to reduce exposure daily lives. the worst polluters from the city, The work is examining the to the biggest culprits. He and his The researchers will use and already the positive effects of impact of the introduction of the team hope this research will lead new research tools in areas the Congestion Charge scheme world’s largest Low Emission to legislative changes that will such as mapping, modelling, are being seen. In a recent study Zone in greater London in encourage car manufacturers to toxicology, genomics, proteomics Professor Kelly’s team showed 2008 and considers the effects develop engines that emit lower and metabonomics to answer that the scheme is helping to of traffic emission reduction, levels of the worst pollutants. questions such as which reduce pollution levels in the using comparative pollution Professor Kelly believes that pollutants people are being most deprived areas and this is and respiratory health data the breadth of research taking exposed to, what their reactions increasing life expectancy. from before the introduction of place in the new Centre will are to these and if or how this One important project that the Low Emission Zone. The ensure London continues to lead leads to tissue injury and disease has already started is being research focuses on children the drive to improve air quality development in future years. undertaken jointly with staff since damage done to their lungs in our cities. Principal’s column GREG GREG FUNNELL Dear Colleagues important steps to decrease our quality of the King’s experience be spending some of his time as a A new academic year begins costs and increase our income for staff and students alike. Privy Councillor member of the with signs both of substantial in ways that are consistent with There are some changes to Iraq War inquiry. On a personal further progress and of significant the ambitious objectives of our my senior management team note, I finished my two-year challenges. Strategic Plan. As you know, this year. We welcome Professor term as President of Universities I am particularly pleased discussions on how this objective Eeva Leinonen, who joins us UK this summer. by the fact that our UK and can be achieved are well as Vice-Principal (Education); Finally, this academic year will overseas applications for underway. she will replace Professor Phil see a General Election, and it is admissions continue to increase Of course, King’s already has Whitfield, who retires on 30 gratifying that both Government faster than the national average a good track record in raising September after no fewer than and Opposition politicians such and by the advances that the funds outside of Government, 40 years of highly productive as Lord Mandelson and David academic health sciences centre, and I am especially delighted service to King’s (there will be Willetts have recently paid King’s Health Partners, is that we have now raised £50 more about Phil in the next issue tribute to the groundbreaking making. Yet our future academic million since our last fundraising of Comment). Chris Mottershead Extended Medical Degree achievements must take place campaign, which ended in (Vice-Principal, Research & Programme that we offer at in a demanding national 2004. Congratulations and Innovation) has added the King’s. It is pleasing that those financial environment. Like thanks are due to the many acting headship of the School of staff and students, who have all English universities, we are members of the College Physical Sciences & Engineering put so much work into this already experiencing cuts in community who have been to his other duties. Professor programme, have had their our Government funding, and involved in this achievement in Robert Lechler (Vice-Principal, efforts recognised, not least when these reductions will inevitably one way or another. Although Health) will be concentrating former Cabinet minister Alan worsen in future years given the such philanthropy cannot be a on his role as Executive Director Milburn launched his report on huge increase in the public debt substitute for sound underlying of King’s Health Partners, access to the professions at the incurred to deal with the 2008 College finances, contributions and Professor Sir Lawrence Guy’s Campus in July. banking crisis. Therefore at of this kind will continue to play Freedman (Vice-Principal, Rick Trainor King’s we need to take a major role in enhancing the Strategy & Development) will Principal 2 | Comment | September 2009 | www.kcl.ac.uk News £50 million raised for King’s An impressive £50 million of donations has been raised for the College to support world-leading research in areas such as cancer, neurosciences, international public policy, new buildings including the international centre for palliative care, and scholarships for students. THIS MONEY HAS BEEN RAISED SINCE ALFREDO FLAVO 2005 when the College’s first fundraising campaign closed having reached its target of £44 million. The first Campaign provided funding for projects such as the Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases; the Maughan Library and The D’Oyly Carte Chair in Medicine & the Arts. More than 30 gifts of over £500,000 The money raised since then has come from a range of sources including gifts from charitable trusts and foundations, donations Computer impression of the Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care. from alumni and staff; and money and scientific research, we can people have left to the College ensure that our findings from be named the ‘Maurice Wohl excellence of a King’s education.