ARC East Midlands Director presented with Lifetime Achievement Award

Professor Kamlesh Khunti CBE, Director of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East Midlands and Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester, has picked up a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Primary Care Diabetes Society (PCDS).

The accolade was presented to Professor Khunti on Wednesday, November 23, during the annual PCDS conference, which returned as a face-to-face event for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognises and celebrates an individual’s outstanding accomplishments within diabetes care during their career.

Alongside his commitments working with NIHR ARC East Midlands and the University of Leicester, Professor Khunti is also a co-director of the Leicester Diabetes Centre, which aims to improve the lives of people with diabetes through research, education and innovation. During his career, Professor Khunti was also a founding member of the PCDS.

Professor Khunti said: “It is an honour to be recognised by the PCDS for this Lifetime Achievement Award. All of this would not have been possible without the great work of our wonderful team at the Leicester Diabetes Centre and I would like dedicate this award to the entire team.”

He added: “I am also extremely honoured that I was a founding member of PCDS with seven other colleagues in 2005. It’s been great to see the huge progress PCDS has made over these years.”

Professor Sam Seidu, Clinical Professor in Primary Care Diabetes and Cardio-metabolic Medicine at the University of Leicester and PCDS Committee Member, said: “Kamlesh was one of the founding members of the Primary Care Diabetes Society and, since its inception, he has been a formidable figure in the group, championing research, education and clinical care for people with diabetes.

“His work has influenced national and international guidelines on the screening and management of people with diabetes.”

He added: “Despite all these achievements and awards, when he is asked to introduce himself at meetings, Kamlesh always says, “I am Kamlesh Khunti, a GP from Leicester”. This always leaves people silent and waiting for more, but that is it. He does not go further. What a role model for aspiring clinical researchers.”

Professor Kamlesh Khunti has been responsible for major advances in type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and has published more than 1,000 academic papers – helping to build an evidence base to improve clinical practice.

He has contributed significantly to improving the health of the ethnic minority community and has led a body of research throughout the pandemic, becoming a member of Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), Chair of the SAGE Ethnic Sub-panel and being one of the very first to spot the disproportional impact of COVID-19 on people from ethnic minorities.

Professor Khunti was also last year’s recipient of the Diabetes Philippines ADL Endowed Lecture Award, which acknowledges an academic who has gained international respect for their work in diabetes care.

In 2019, he was also given the South Asian Health Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition for his outstanding contribution to South Asian health through cutting-edge research, which has influenced frontline diabetes care across the world.

Established in 2005, PCDS supports health professionals working in primary care to deliver high-quality, clinically effective care in order to provide the best support for people with diabetes.