About
Professor Tom Solomon CBE FRCP FMedSci is Director of The Pandemic Institute, Academic Vice President of the Royal College of Physicians, Director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections and the Health Protection Research Network. He is also Chair of Neurological Science at the University of Liverpool and an honorary Consultant Neurologist at the Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust.
After qualifying in Medicine at Oxford, his research training included 3 years at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam, and 2 years at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA. He studies emerging infections, particularly those affecting the brain, heading the multi-disciplinary Liverpool Brain Infections Group, with programmes in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in The Queen’s birthday honours List 2021, and was Vice President (International) at the UK Academy of Medical Science (2022-25).
He is a keen teacher, leading the annual Liverpool Neurological Infectious Diseases course, is an advisor to the UK government and WHO, and a passionate science communicator. He appears regularly on the BBC, wrote a popular science book, 'Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Medicine' and performs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He won a Guinness World Record for his sci-art World’s Biggest Brain project, and another for running the fastest marathon dressed as a doctor. Social media @RunningMadProf.
Prizes or Honours
- Royal College of Physicians of London, Linacre Lectureship 2006 (Royal College of Physicians of London, 2006)
- Neurology Specialist Registrar Training Weekend ¿ Travel Bursary Competition (Neurology Specialist Registrar Training Weekend , 2004)
- Birmingham Movement Disorder Course April 2004, Video Competition, 1st Prize (Birmingham Movement Disorder Course, 2004)
- Invited Review Article (New England Journal of Medicine, Editorial Board, 2004)
- Charles Symonds Prize (Association of British Neurologists , 2003)
Funded Fellowships
- Medical Research Council Senior Clinical Fellow (Medical Research Council (MRC), 2005)
- Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellowship (Wellcome Trust, 2000)