Prof Brian R Walker

BSc  MB ChB  MD FRCPE FRSE

Clinics

• General Endocrinology

Hospitals

• Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh

Biography

Brian Walker was born and educated in Glasgow, studied medicine in Edinburgh, and qualified in 1986. He trained in General Medicine, Diabetes and Endocrinology in Glasgow and Edinburgh, becoming a consultant in 1996. His current clinical practice is in general adult Endocrinology.

Brian has been a highly active medical researcher from more than 25 years. His research links the stress steroid hormone cortisol with cardiovascular disease, spanning mechanistic modelling through to population-based genetic epidemiology. Working at the interface between academia and industry, his group has developed drugs which target cortisol in new ways to reduce cardiovascular risk and dementia, recently advancing the first of these (UE2343) into studies in humans.

He has also held leadership roles in the University at Unit and Department level and currently heads the BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, with >150 staff and students and ~£10M annual research income.

His most significant contribution to medical education has been as editor of three editions of the iconic textbook, Davidson's Principles & Practice of Medicine, with global sales >250k per edition.

Brian is committed to fostering the next generation of clinician scientists. He has supervised >25 PhD students. He co-directs the Edinburgh Clinical Academic Track (ECAT) programme, managing Wellcome Trust (£12M) and matched NHS Education for Scotland funding, with oversight for >50 academic trainees. He chairs the Wellcome Trust panel which reviews clinical research fellowship applications.

Brian Walker's University of Edinburgh profile