Professor Joanne Martin, also Director of the Blizard Institute and Professor of Pathology at Queen Mary University of London, has received a CBE for services to the NHS and Medical Education in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Professor Martin qualified at the London Hospital Medical College – now Queen Mary’s Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry - in 1984 and has been at Queen Mary since 1996. She is a practicing histopathologist, with a particular subspecialist expertise in neuromuscular disease of the gut.
She is a highly esteemed teacher, having developed new digital resources for students and a new adaptive learning platform for students and trainees - the Pathology Portal - with Health Education England. Her research has included neurodegeneration and dysfunction of the motor system. This has included identifying new models of motor neuron degeneration, and describing new neuromuscular disorders of the bowel, helping patients worldwide.
Prior to her appointment as Director of the Blizard Institute at Queen Mary, Professor Martin was President of the Royal College of Pathologists between 2017 and 2020. In this role, she was the driving force for the College’s mission of developing and supporting excellence in pathology for healthcare across the world. She was National Clinical Director for Pathology for NHS England from 2013 to 2016 and is currently National Specialty Advisor for Pathology for NHS England. She has led on Education and Research for Barts Health NHS Trust, and was on the Board of the Trust over a period of 8 years.
Commenting on her CBE, Professor Martin said: “I am incredibly humbled and honoured to receive this recognition. I have worked with so many wonderful colleagues at Queen Mary and the NHS over the years – and I would not be in this position without all their support and guidance along the way.
“I have been fortunate to work in areas of education and research close to my heart and my passion for making things better and for helping has not faltered. The advances made in pathology in that time have been nothing short of extraordinary, and I am proud to have played a small part in this. Seeing the difference these leaps have made to education, as well as disease diagnosis, has been one of the most satisfying aspects of my career.”
Professor Colin Bailey, President and Principal at Queen Mary University of London, said: “I am thrilled for Jo. This is a thoroughly deserved achievement in light of her extraordinary work for the NHS and medical education.
“Her research has been of great importance and impact within the field of pathology, helping people around the world. And her contribution to the education of generations of scientists and medical professionals is equally profound. Not only is she an exceptional scientist, she is a wonderful ambassador for Queen Mary University in all that she does. Her inclusion in this year’s Honours is richly deserved and a proud moment for Queen Mary University.”
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