Sir Stephen Patrick O'Rahilly is a world-renowned endocrinologist and metabolic researcher whose work has transformed our understanding of human metabolic disorders. He currently serves as Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Medicine at the University of Cambridge where he is Co-Director of the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science and Director of the MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit. Born in Dublin, Ireland on April 1, 1958, he graduated in Medicine from University College Dublin in 1981 and completed his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1987. Following extensive postgraduate clinical and research training at leading institutions including London, Oxford and Harvard from 1982 to 1991, he established his laboratory at Cambridge with a Wellcome Trust Senior Clinical Fellowship. His leadership in metabolic research was recognized through his appointment to the newly created Chair of Metabolic Medicine in 1996 and later to the Chair of Clinical Biochemistry and Medicine in 2002.
Professor O'Rahilly's pioneering research has fundamentally advanced our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of obesity, insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes through the identification of numerous previously unrecognized genetic causes of these conditions. His laboratory was the first to identify and characterize several genetic mutations responsible for human obesity and severe insulin resistance, including the discovery that dominant negative mutations in PPARγ cause severe insulin resistance and hypertension, demonstrating PPARγ's critical role in glucose regulation. This work has directly translated to improved clinical care through the establishment of a nationally funded diagnostic service for patients with severe insulin resistance in the UK, enabling specific treatments for genetically defined metabolic disorders. His systematic approach to studying human extreme phenotypes has illuminated fundamental mechanisms of metabolic health and disease, with many discoveries now established in clinical practice. The significance of his contributions to diabetes research was recognized with the prestigious Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement in 2019.
Beyond his research achievements, Sir Stephen has been instrumental in building world-class research infrastructure on the Cambridge biomedical campus and fostering the next generation of scientists as a highly successful mentor to numerous young clinician-scientists. His exceptional contributions to medical science were honored with a knighthood in 2013 for services to medical research, and he has received five honorary doctorates in recognition of his work. He maintains a steadfast commitment to clinical practice as an honorary consultant physician at Addenbrooke's Hospital while continuing to lead innovative research in three interconnected areas: insulin action and resistance, disorders of appetite and eating including obesity, and the control of body composition. His current research program takes a multidisciplinary approach integrating human genetics with cellular and animal models to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for metabolic diseases. As scientific Director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, he continues to shape the future of metabolic research with translational applications that improve patient outcomes worldwide.
