A Journey in Science: Early Lessons from the Hemoglobin Field

Abstract

Real innovations in medicine and science are historic and singular; the stories behind each occurrence are precious. At Molecular Medicine we have established the Anthony Cerami Award in Translational Medicine to document and preserve these histories. The monographs recount the seminal events as told in the voice of the original investigators who provided the crucial early insight. These essays capture the essence of discovery, chronicling the birth of ideas that created new fields of research; and launched trajectories that persisted and ultimately influenced how disease is prevented, diagnosed, and treated. In this volume, the Cerami Award Monograph is by David J Weatherall, Founder, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford University, John Radcliffe Hospital. A visionary in the field of hemoglobin, this is the story of Professor Weatherall's scientific journey.

David “DJ” Weatherall

“…Tim E. Peto, 1,2 Rosalind M. Harding, 3,4, * and Jonathan Flint 5 Professor Sir David J. Weatherall, affectionately known as DJ, passed away on 8, December 2018, aged 85 years.…”

“…Apart from his research, DJ was a compassionate and caring clinician who followed the principles of evidencebased medicine long before the term was coined. 2 He was also the founding editor of the Oxford Textbook of Medicine and author of the monograph ''Science and the Quiet Art -Medical Research and Patient Care'' 3 .…”