Box 1.

The Academy of Medical Sciences.

Founded in 1998, the Academy of Medical Sciences is the independent body in the UK representing the diversity of medical science. The Academy’s elected Fellows – over 1000 – are drawn from the fundamental biological sciences, clinical academic medicine, public and population health, health technology implementation, veterinary science, dentistry, medical and nursing care, and other professions allied to medical science as well as the essential underpinning disciplines including mathematics, chemistry, physics, engineering, ethics, social science and the law. It is the Fellowship, which provides the knowledge, influence and networks that enables the Academy to fulfil its vision of ‘improving health through research’. The Academy’s objectives are wide ranging, but a core objective underpinning its mission is ‘nurturing the next generation of medical researchers’.