Tuesday, 14 June 2022
A leading eye expert from the University of Nottingham has received a Lifetime Achievement Award in the NHS Regional Parliamentary Awards.
Ophthalmologist Professor Harminder Singh Dua CBE, DL, from the School of Medicine at the University, will now go on to represent the Midlands at the award national finals in July.
Professor Dua has led a remarkable career across the world, and continues to contribute significantly in the field of ophthalmology. He has been Chair and Professor of Ophthalmology at the University since 1994.
Professor Harminder Dua
He is also Honorary Professor of Universita della Svizze, Lugano Switzerland and has just completed a term of three years as Head-of-Service (joint), in the Department of Ophthalmology, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
He was made Commander of the most excellent order of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in her 2019 Birthday Honours list.
He has also held the posts of President of the Royal College of Ophthalmologist (2011-12), as well as Editor-in-Chief of the British Journal of Ophthalmology (2007-14). As well as this, he has held the post of The High Sheriff for Nottinghamshire; one of the oldest roles in the UK - over a thousand years, appointed by the Queen. Last week, he was appointed as Deputy Lieutenant, a role in which he will assist Sir John Peace, the Lord-Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire.
His work has changed clinical practice and has been adopted worldwide. Professor Dua’s most famous contribution to ophthalmology was his research group’s discovery of a previously undetected layer of the human cornea in 2013.
His work to develop our understanding of this Pre-Decemet’s layer – also dubbed Dua’s Layer - has already informed three new surgical techniques and made lamellar corneal transplantation safer.
As President of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (2011-14) one of his achievements of lasting impact was the inclusion of an eye health indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework. Acknowledgement of his contributions include the grant of Honorary Fellowships of The Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, The College of Optometrists, The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, UK, and The All India Collegium of Ophthalmologists.
I would like to say thank you to Dalia Said, for nominating me. I would also like to say that this achievement is for the whole team; it’s not a single person effort, it’s always a team effort. Thank you to our patients, who teach us so much and are the reason why we do what we do.”
Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham, said: “There couldn’t be a more worthy winner of this Lifetime Achievement Award than Professor Dua. He has achieved so much in his career – and his research has been truly world-changing. He is extremely well respected by everyone in his field as well as by his colleagues at the University, and we are extremely proud of him.”
The NHS Parliamentary Awards were launched in 2018 to celebrate the NHS’s 70 birthday and recognise the outstanding contribution of staff, volunteers and others working in the health and care sector. Now in its fifth year, the awards have been an overwhelming success with over 450 Members of Parliament representing constituencies in England nominating an individual or organisation for an award.
These awards also provide an excellent opportunity for health and care organisations to engage with their local MPs, tell them about the work they do, and strengthen ongoing relationships.
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More information is available from Professor Harminder Dua at harminder.dua@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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