Contact details

Emeritus Professor Julia M Polak FMedSci

Emeritus Professor
Division of Investigative Science

Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 5623
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Professor Dame Julia M Polak

Professor Dame Julia Polak

Professor Dame Julia Polak graduated from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina and obtained her postgraduate training in the UK. She became Professor and the Director of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Centre, Imperial College in 1997.  She is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Imperial College Institute of Biomedical Engineering and has recently been made a new member of the Stem Cell Advisory Board Panel of the joint MRC/UKSCF, Science Advisory Board, (October 2005), Panel of the new EPSRC Peer Review College (2006 – 2009) and Panel of the MRC College of Experts (2006 – 2010).  She has also been invited to join the International Advisory Board Committee of the 2nd World Congress of TERMIS (WC 2009 TERMIS). She was a council member of the Tissue Engineering Society International and the Academy of Medical Sciences (2002 – 2005) and was also European Editor of Tissue Engineering (up until 2004). She is the author of 995 original papers, 117 review articles and Editor/Author of 25 books and is one of the most Highly Cited Researchers in her field.   She is a co-founder and Director of an Imperial Spin Out Company called Novathera dealing with Regenerative Medicine Products.  She is also the recipient of a heart and lung transplant, in 1995, and into her 11th year post-transplant is one of the longest living survivors in the UK.  She has received a number of honours and won a number of prizes including:-

RECENT HONOURS:

• Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE) (2003)
• Tea with the Queen and Prince Phillip to celebrate the Pioneers of the country (October 2003)
• Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sheffield (2005)
• Honorary Doctorate from the University of Computense, Madrid, Spain (1997)
• Honorary Fellowship of the Association of Clinical Pathologists (2003)
• Visiting Professor at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas (2004)
• Life Time Achievement Award for contributions to Endocrine Pathology, March 2006.

RECENT MEDALS:

• Medal, Swedish Society of Pathology (1998) 
• The Cable and Wireless Sir Eric-Sharpe Prize for Oncology (1986/1987)
• Medal of the Society for Endocrinology (1984)
• Benito de Udaondo Cardiology Prize (for establishing a new way of visualising coronary arteries) (1967)
• The Ellison-Cliffe Medal, Royal Society of Medicine (2004)
• Pathology Society Award for long services to Pathology (2004)

RECENT NAMED LECTURES:

• The Israel Doniach Lecture, Pathological Society of Great Britain (2004)
• Oliver-Sharpey Lecturer, Royal College of Physicians (1993)
• Eramus Wilson Distinguished Lecturer, Royal College of Surgeons (1992)
• The Dean’s Special Lecture on “Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine”, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 15th November 2004.
• Institutional Lecture at Texas A&M University, College Station, 17th November 2004.
• Institutional Lecture at the Cell and Gene Therapy Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 15th February 2005.
• Institutional Lecture at the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 17th February 2005
• Institutional Lecture at the University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, 22nd February 2005
• Distinguished Guest Lecture and plaque in recognition of outstanding contribution to biomedical research, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, 23rd February 2005
• Distinguished Guest Lecture, Rice University, Houston, 2nd March 2005