Award-winning Sheffield doctor to present lecture based on life and work of city’s surgical pioneer Judson Chesterman

Dr Will Parker, a Clinical Research Fellow in Cardiology at the University of Sheffield, has been announced as the winner of the prestigious 2019 Maccabean Prize and Medal from the Society of Apothecaries for handing in the best dissertation while studying for his the Diploma in the History of Medicine.

He will now be giving the Osler Lecture at The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, in London, on February 24.

An Honorary Registrar in Cardiology at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Dr Parker will be focusing on his research around the life and work of Judson Chesterman, who was a surgeon in Sheffield between the 1930s and the 1960s.

Dr Parker said: “It's quite an honour for me and I hope for Sheffield too. I’m going to tell the story of the development of cardiac surgery in Sheffield, and particularly Mr Chesterman’s work, and it’s an event that is quite important in the calendar in the study of the history of medicine.”

Although not familiar to many, Judson Chesterman was an important figure in the origins of modern-day heart surgery.

Through his work at the City General Hospital – now the Northern General Hospital – he developed the first cardiac mitral valve, used to replace diseased valves in the heart and was pivotal in pushing forward surgical techniques and treatments still used in modern-day cardiac medicine.

He was also a pioneer in the development of cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, which uses a pump to take over the function of the heart and lungs while maintaining the circulation of blood and oxygen around the body during operations.

Dr Parker is currently undertaking his PhD in the pharmacological management of cardiovascular disease at the University of Sheffield and developed an interest in the history of medicine which led him to study the diploma.

Winning the two prestigious awards, the Sheffield native decided to use the opportunity to show how innovation in the city has contributed to the practice of cardiology; saving millions of lives around the world.