Professor John Wass, the clinical lead for endocrinology for the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme, has been honoured by the international Endocrine Society for his outstanding leadership in the specialty.
The Endocrine Society’s Laureate Awards recognise the highest achievements in the field of endocrinology, including ground-breaking research and innovations in clinical care.
Professor Wass was presented with The Outstanding Leadership in Endocrinology Award at the society’s annual meeting, ENDO 2022.
The award is given in recognition of outstanding leadership in fundamental or clinical endocrinology, exemplified by the recipient’s contributions and those of his or her trainees and associates to teaching and research.
The award citation said: “John Wass is a clinical researcher and educator at Oxford, whose contributions have had a significant effect on patients with pituitary disease.
“His early observations about the importance of single-surgeon expertise for acromegaly outcomes paved the way many years later for adoption of criteria for pituitary centres of excellence, while his early recognition of the need to minimise neurological sequelae in pituitary apoplexy paved the way for ongoing studies to establish best practices for this difficult-to-manage disorder.
“In these areas, as well as in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Addison’s disease, and obesity, Wass’s leadership has enabled endocrinologists to adopt new approaches to improve patient outcomes.”
Professor Wass was appointed as the GIRFT clinical lead for the endocrinology workstream in 2017 with the endorsement of the Society for Endocrinology. His GIRFT national report for endocrinology was shared with clinical teams in September last year.
He is the Professor of Endocrinology at Oxford University and was head of the Department of Endocrinology at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, until 2012. His research interests include all pituitary tumours, especially acromegaly, adrenal disease, angiogenesis in endocrinology, and the genetics of osteoporosis and thyroid disease.
In a career spanning more than 45 years, Professor Wass has trained multiple endocrinologists who are well recognised globally for their own leading contributions to endocrinology research and practice.
He has also published more than 400 articles in scientific journals and as well writing many reviews and chapters in textbooks, including the Oxford Textbook of Medicine and DeGroot’s Textbook of Endocrinology.
