Royal College honours top medics  

13 Nov 2024

Professor Sir Gregor Smith, Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, Professor Abdul Majeed Chaudhry, Dean of Lahore Medical and Dental College in Pakistan, and Professor Jon Lund, Chair of the UK’s Joint Committee on Surgical Training, were made Honorary Fellows of the College yesterday (Tuesday 12 November).  

The awards were presented at a diploma ceremony for Fellows and Members from more than 11 countries. 

Mike McKirdy, President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, said: “It is an honour to be joined by Sir Gregor, Professor Chaudhry and Professor Lund, who all share a dedication and passion for improving healthcare.  

“Later this month, the College will celebrate its 425th year of innovation, community, and speaking up for the professions. Our three new Honorary Fellows are excellent examples of our work and values and have made an immense impact on the health of communities around the world.  

“As we approach this anniversary, we are very proud to bring together those who have made great contributions to the medical profession and public health, and to be able to inspire our new Fellows and Members, who are beginning the next stages of their careers.” 

Sir Gregor was recognised for his services to public health including his contribution to the national response during the Covid-19 pandemic, after being appointed as Chief Medical Officer for Scotland in 2020. Reflecting on the award he said “I am delighted to be awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. As a graduate of Glasgow University, it feels special to be receiving this in the very place where I began my journey to become a doctor. 

“Becoming a Fellow means that I will remain connected to an organisation that is committed to the highest standards of education, clinical practise and the science and development of medicine.” 

Sir Gregor is a GP and practiced in South Lanarkshire for 15 years. In 2012, he became a medical adviser in primary care for the Scottish Government. Since then, he has served in both operational leadership and advisory roles. He has also played an integral role in developing the Realistic Medicine approach to care since its inception in 2016. 

He is an honorary professor of the University of Glasgow, having graduated there in 1994. As a first generation university graduate, he is a powerful advocate of widening access to higher education and participates in the Speakers for Schools programme. In 2022, he was knighted in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List for services to public health.  

Earlier this year, Sir Gregor drove forward Scotland’s contribution to the United Nation’s Health4Life fund, building on efforts to prevent and control non-communicable diseases in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia.  

Professor Chaudry has been an international Advisor to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow since 2003. He was the first Pakistani surgeon to earn a Master’s degree in Health Profession Education from the University of Maastricht in Holland and went on to initiate a similar programme in six medical universities within Pakistan.  

He served as the Chair of the Department of Surgery at King Edward Medical University for more than 13 years. Later, he took on the role of Principal and Chair of the Department of Surgery at Fatima Jinnah Medical University. He has authored more than 83 publications in national and international journals and serves as the Chief Editor of the SAARC Textbook of Surgery. 

Professor Chaudhry said: “It is an honour; the Royal College is sheerly symbolic of professional excellence and has been a service to humanity since 1599.” 

Professor Jon Lund was recognised for his commitment to improving access to surgical training. During and since the pandemic, he has been driving efforts to address the surgical training emergency with his #NoTrainingTodayNoSurgeonsTomorrow campaign, which sets out recommendations on how to make training a priority in the recovery of surgery.  

On receiving the Honorary Fellowship, he said “I am delighted to have been recognised by the College with their highest honour for doing something which I have enjoyed every minute of.  

“Training should be the most rewarding part of any surgeon’s job, as it pays back those who have trained us and invests in our colleagues who are the future of surgery.” 

Throughout his career, Professor Lund has been an enthusiastic advocate of training in surgery, beginning as a surgical tutor in 2005 and progressing through a range of regional and national roles to eventually become Chair of the Joint Committee on Surgical Training. He led the development and implementation of the 2021 curricula for all surgical specialties and the design of the Multiple Consultant Report. 

Professor Lund gained his medical degree from the University of Nottingham in 1990 and went on to train in surgery in the East Midlands. In 2000, he won the Gold Medal for being the top-performing candidate in the FRCS exam in General Surgery. He also gained a Patey Prize in 1997 and Hunterian Professorship in 2002 for his doctoral thesis, developing Glyceryl Trinitrate as the first non-surgical treatment for anal fissure.