Professor Fiona Powrie, who leads the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre’s Gastroenterology and Mucosal Immunity Theme, has been honoured in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Prof Powrie, Director of the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, was appointed Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE), for services to Medical Science.
She has made major contributions to our understanding of the immune system, notably her early work providing support for the existence of regulatory T lymphocytes. She has also been a leader in transforming our understanding of how gut bacteria interact with the immune system.
She has taken this basic research in a translational direction, working with clinical colleagues to apply her discoveries to the management of inflammatory bowel disease
An inspirational role model for the many young women beginning their careers in biomedical science, Professor Powrie was appointed a Governor of the Wellcome Trust in 2018, and its Deputy Chair in 2022.
Professor Powrie said: “This was an absolute surprise. So delighted and thrilled that our work to understand the regulation of the immune response in the gut has been recognised with this honour.
“I have been privileged to work with so many outstanding early career researchers from all over the world who worked with passion and dedication to address this challenge. This would not have been possible without the support of the University of Oxford and my colleagues in the Kennedy Institute.
“It is always a challenge to get the life work balance right and I am so lucky to have my husband Adrian and daughters Cara and Jessica by my side during this journey.”