Professor Sir James Underwood

James Underwood is Emeritus Professor of Pathology and former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at The University of Sheffield. Having graduated in medicine in 1965 at St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College in London, he returned there to begin his training in pathology. His subsequent career included a Medical Research Council Fellowship at the Chester Beatty Research Institute in London and a Wellcome–Ramaciotti Research Fellowship at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He was appointed to the Chair of Pathology in Sheffield in 1983. His interests span breast pathology, chronic inflammatory liver diseases, the role of the autopsy and medical education.

Sir James won the Royal Society of Medicine Book Award (2000) and the British Medical Association Medical Book Competition (2005) for his internationally popular undergraduate textbook General and Systematic Pathology. In 2005, he was awarded the Cunningham Medal by the British Division of the International Academy of Pathology. In 2006, he was honoured, jointly with Sir Roddy MacSween and Professor Mike Wells, with the Gold Medal of the International Academy of Pathology for achievements as Editor of Histopathology. In October 2006, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the College of Pathologists of South Africa.

James Underwood was President of the Royal College of Pathologists (2002–2005). He was awarded a Knighthood for services to medicine in the 2005 New Year Honours list.