The Marsden Lecture
The prestigious Marsden Lecture is a long-established annual lecture series where prominent experts are invited to discuss issues and challenges of significance in the world of academia and healthcare. It is named in honour of Dr William Marsden, who founded the Royal Free Hospital in 1828.
2023
For the 2023 Marsden Lecture, we were pleased to host Sir David Sloman, who led London’s operational response to COVID-19 and retired in 2023 as the chief operating officer of NHS England.
At the lecture, Sir David cited Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust’s (RFL) significance as one of the biggest cancer care providers in the UK and a major contributor to global research as essential to treating and curing cancer in the future.
He also used the lecture as an opportunity to reflect on his 40-year career in health services, which included his tenure as RFL group chief executive (2009-2018).
2022
For the 2022 Marsden Lecture, we welcomed two guest speakers; leading cancer strategist Professor Sir Mike Richards CBE and patient advocate Dr Liz O’Riordan.
Professor Sir Mike Richards CBE was the UK’s first national cancer director and later became the CQC’s first chief inspector of hospitals. He has recently led two major reviews for NHS England into adult screening services (2019) and diagnostic services (2020). In April 2022 he was appointed as chair of the UK National Screening Committee. Sir Mike was awarded a CBE in 2001 and appointed a Knight Bachelor in 2010.
Dr Liz O’Riordan is an international speaker, broadcaster and award-winning author and blogger. In 2015 (aged 40) she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer while working as a consultant breast surgeon. Liz talks all over the world about how to improve patient care.
The free event was streamed live on Zoom on 17 November 2022.
2021
For the 2021 lecture, we hosted Dame Kate Bingham DBE.
Biochemist and entrepreneur, Dame Kate was appointed chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce reporting to the Prime Minister to lead UK efforts to find and manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine. She was awarded a DBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in June 2021 for services to the procurement, manufacture, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
In her lecture – entitled the application of a venture capital approach to addressing the COVID-19 global health crisis and the pioneering role of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust in responding to the pandemic – Dame Kate recalled the initial setting up of the vaccine taskforce and spoke of some of the challenges facing the team.
She was awarded a DBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2021 for services to the procurement, manufacture, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
