Hugh Christian Watkins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hugh Christian Watkins
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Watkins in 2017
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| Born | 7 June 1959 |
| Education | Gresham's School |
| Alma mater | St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College University of London |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Oxford Harvard Medical School |
| Thesis | Demonstration that cardiac troponin T mutations cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (1996) |
| Notable students | Bongani Mayosi |
Hugh Christian Watkins (born 7 June 1959) is a British heart doctor. He is a Fellow at Merton College, Oxford. He also helps edit an important science magazine called Circulation Research. From 1996 to 2013, he was a special professor of heart medicine at the University of Oxford.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Hugh Watkins was born in 1959. His dad, Dr. David Watkins, was also a doctor. Hugh went to Gresham's School in Norfolk. Later, he studied medicine at St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College. He finished his first degrees in 1983. In 1984, he won a special award for general medicine. He earned his PhD from the University of London in 1995.
Discovering More About Hearts
His Journey in Medicine
After medical school, Hugh Watkins worked in different hospitals. He was a junior doctor at St Bartholomew's Hospital and the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. He also worked at St Thomas' Hospital in London. Later, he became a lecturer in heart science at St George's Hospital. He also spent time as a special researcher at Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA. In 1995, he became a professor there. A year later, in 1996, he became a top professor of heart medicine at the University of Oxford.
Unlocking Heart Mysteries
At Oxford, Professor Watkins leads the British Heart Foundation's Molecular Cardiology Laboratory. This lab studies the tiny parts of the heart. He also directs a special research center. His main work is looking at the genes that cause heart problems. He is famous for his research on how heart diseases can be passed down in families. This includes a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which makes the heart muscle too thick. He also studies the genetic reasons for "sudden cardiac death." This is when someone's heart stops unexpectedly. He leads an international team that studies how genes make people more likely to get heart disease.
Awards and Recognitions
Professor Watkins has received many awards for his important work.
- 1990: British Heart Foundation Clinical Scientist Fellow
- 1992: Young Research Worker Prize of the British Cardiac Society
- 1997: Became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
- 1998: Goulstonian Lecturer for the Royal College of Physicians
- 2003: Graham Bull Prize from the Royal College of Physicians
- 2004: Thomas Lewis Lecturer for the British Cardiac Society
- 2017: Elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences
- He is also a Fellow of the American Heart Association.
- 2017: Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a very high honor for scientists.
What He Has Written
Professor Watkins has written many scientific papers. These papers share his discoveries with other scientists. They have been published in important journals like the New England Journal of Medicine and Cell.
Outside of Work
In 1987, Hugh Watkins married Elizabeth Bridget Hewett. They have a son and a daughter. When he is not working, he enjoys photography and collecting beautiful Oriental porcelain.
