Professor Andy Bush receives James Spence Medal

Huge congratulations to Professor Andy Bush who has won the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health's (RCPCH) highest honour, the James Spence Medal, for 2024.

This highly prestigious medal is awarded by the College for outstanding contribution to the advancement of knowledge and understanding in paediatrics and child health.

Professor Andy Bush has been a consultant paediatric chest physician and translational researcher at Royal Brompton Hospital for over 30 years. His clinical practice and research spans many areas of paediatric respiratory medicine, especially clinical respiratory physiology and invasive and non-invasive assessment of airway inflammation in asthma and cystic fibrosis. He has taught and inspired a generation of paediatricians, with more than 50 now occupying senior clinical and academic positions.

His work includes supervising 51 MD and PhD degrees, authoring more than 750 papers in peer review journals and more than 100 chapters in books and monographs, and co-editing 10 books. His position as professor within a number of institutes has raised more than £90 million in peer review grants and donations.

Professor Bush was the first paediatrician to hold the post of Editor in Chief of Thorax, a leading international respiratory and critical care journal. He was also the only Deputy Editor for the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine from outside North America.

Professor Bush has long been involved in a campaign to introduce legislation to stop the advertising and promotion of e-cigarettes to young children. These campaigning efforts were successful as the Government recently announced that disposable e-cigarettes are to be banned from sale and supply.

Professor Bush said of his award: "I am deeply humbled by this recognition, joining so many very distinguished previous awardees. The medal really belongs to all the many fantastic clinical and academic collaborators with whom I have been lucky enough to work over more than 30 years."

It has been such a privilege to be part of the life stories of so many professionals, and especially of a huge number of children and families. They have all taught me so much, especially the children.

Dr Sara Hanna, Medical Director for Evelina London Women's and Children's Services, said: "On behalf of everybody at Evelina London, I'd like to congratulate Professor Bush on being awarded the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health's highest honour. Andy is a wonderful example of an academic with an international reputation, who also maintains an extensive clinical practice at Royal Brompton Hospital."

The James Spence award is made on the recommendation of RCPCH Council on the advice of the nominations committee.

Listen to Professor Bush talk about his career in a recent podcast.