Join us for Professor Jonathan Valabhji’s Imperial Inaugural online or in person.
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We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 4 December!
Abstract
Diabetes now affects over half a billion people globally and 3.8million people in England. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95% of all cases, for which the major modifiable risk factor is obesity. Over latter decades, expanding waistlines nationally and internationally have driven higher numbers of people with type 2 diabetes. Classical health impacts relate to microvascular complications, including eye, kidney and foot disease, and cardiovascular disease. Reduced rates of smoking nationally and greater focus on tight management of glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol in people with diabetes, have seen marked reductions in cardiovascular complications this millennium, with associated increased longevity and a diversification of the causes of morbidity and mortality, with development of multiple long-term conditions (MLTC). At the same time, obesity has driven younger onset of type 2 diabetes, contributing to accelerated development of MLTC at younger ages.
For the last 30 years, Professor Jonathan Valabhji has worked in the field of diabetes, in clinical practice, in national leadership, and in clinical and epidemiological research. To address rising incidence, he successfully made the case for, and led implementation of, the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme in England, including digital modes of delivery, with over 1.6 million people with pre-diabetes now referred in, and published evidence demonstrating reduced type 2 diabetes incidence in programme participants and at English population level associated with programme implementation. He is now assessing the impact of the Programme on incidence of other and multiple long-term conditions. In this inaugural lecture he will describe his personal clinical, leadership and academic journeys and his work in the field of diabetes, including that related to the latest epidemiological transition to MLTC.
Biography
Professor Jonathan Valabhji is Clinical Chair in Medicine at Imperial College London, based on the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Campus, Honorary Consultant Diabetologist at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and National Clinical Lead for Multiple Long-Term Conditions at NHS England. He qualified in 1990 from St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College, London. He undertook specialist training in North-West London, and his MD at Imperial College. From 2002 until September 2023, he was Consultant Physician and Diabetologist at St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and from 2013 until September 2023 he was National Clinical Director for Diabetes and Obesity at NHS England.
He has led rapid translation of high-quality diabetes research into national policy and practice and has established models for evaluation to assess translational impact. His current research interests involve application of real-world data to support population health and health improvement, through implementation and quality assurance of specific interventions at English population level. He has over 120 peer-reviewed publications, is Co-Director of the MRES in Clinical Research at Imperial, implementation lead for the NIHR North-West London Applied Research Collaboration and it’s theme lead for MLTC. In 2019 he was awarded OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List for services to diabetes and obesity care.
