Douglas Higgs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Douglas Higgs
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| Born | 13 January 1951 |
| Awards | Buchanan Medal |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine John Radcliffe Hospital King's College School |
Douglas Roland Higgs, born on January 13, 1951, is a very important scientist. He is a Professor of Molecular Haematology at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine at the University of Oxford in England. He is well-known for his studies on how our blood works, especially a part called alpha-globin, and a blood condition known as alpha-thalassemia. Professor Higgs also works to understand how genes in our bodies turn on and off as we grow and develop.
Becoming a Doctor
Douglas Higgs went to Alleyn's School when he was younger. He then studied medicine at King's College Hospital Medical School and became a doctor in 1974. After that, he trained to become a haematologist, which is a doctor who specializes in blood and blood diseases. In 1976, he started working as a registrar (a type of doctor in training) in Haematology at Kings College Hospital.
His Scientific Journey
In 1977, Professor Higgs joined the Molecular Haematology Unit of the Medical Research Council in Oxford. This is a special place where scientists study blood at a very tiny, molecular level. He worked hard and, in 1996, he became a Professor of Molecular Haematology.
Later, in 2001, he became the director of the MRC Molecular Haematology Unit (MHU). This meant he was in charge of the research happening there. In 2012, he also became the director of the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine (WIMM), which is a big research center. Professor Higgs continued to lead these important research groups until 2020. Today, he is a Senior Kurti Fellow at Brasenose College, Oxford, continuing his valuable work.
Awards and Recognitions
Professor Higgs has received many important awards and honors for his scientific discoveries:
- In 1993, he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians.
- In 1994, he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists.
- In 2001, he was made a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
- In 2005, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United Kingdom.
- In 2013, he received the Buchanan Medal from the Royal Society. He earned this award for his important work on how the human alpha-globin gene works and for understanding the role of a protein called ATRX in genetic diseases.
- In 2023, he was awarded The Genetics Society Medal.
