Join us to celebrate a special milestone for our new professors and hear about their inspiring career journeys. Doors for this event will open at 16.45, with the lectures to commence at 17.00. A drinks reception will be held immediately after the lecture at 18:00.

Please note that registration will close at midnight the Sunday before the lecture.

Professor Janaka Karalliedde 

From Kandy to King's : a journey in Diabetic Kidney Disease

Abstract

In my inaugural lecture, I will cover my personal journey from the hills of Kandy in Sri Lanka to King’s College London and my work in diabetic kidney disease (DKD) and related cardiovascular disease (CVD). DKD is the leading cause of kidney failure needing dialysis or transplant in the UK and many countries globally. DKD also increases the risk of CVD. I will explore the role of arterial ageing as a biomarker and potential treatment target for DKD and our results in this field and then move to clinical observational data on the impact of ethnicity on diabetes complications and ongoing mechanistic research in this area. Lastly how emerging diabetes technology and data led health informatics can improve care and outcomes in people with DKD will be discussed before concluding remarks.  

Biography

Professor Janaka Karalliedde, Clinical Professor of Diabetes School of Cardiovascular Medicine and Metabolic Sciences, King's College London. Janaka graduated with a distinction in medicine (University of London) and was awarded MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship in 2004.

His research is focussed on cardio-renal complications in diabetes and his group reported the first evidence that people of African-Caribbean heritage with type 1 diabetes are at increased risk of kidney and eye complications compared to other heritages. Recent work has elucidated the role of arterial ageing in kidney disease and the use of ‘artificial pancreas’ in people with type 1 diabetes on haemodialysis. Janaka has expertise managing patients with kidney and cardiovascular complications at Guy’s and St Thomas Hospital and has led multi-award winning programme on risk stratification and clinical prioritisation that is now embedded in routine care.  

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Professor Tet Yap

Tetralogy of Fellows : Frontiers in Androgenetics, Fertility, Cancer Care & Sexual Health 

Abstract

In this inaugural lecture at King’s College London, Professor Tet Yap will reflect on his education, career, and research in urology and andrology. He will highlight the evolving research in male reproductive medicine and prostate cancer survivorship as well as breakthroughs in management of Klinefelter Syndrome, a rare genetic disease.

He will share how clinical and translational innovation, including regenerative approaches in andrology, has advanced treatments for infertility and sexual health, effectively bridging laboratory research and clinical care. Professor Yap will also address the importance of health equity in men's healthcare, demonstrating how his work ensures that new advances in reproductive medicine and survivorship benefit diverse patient populations. Along the way, he will describe the challenges and opportunities that have shaped and led to his formative research practice today.

Biography

Professor Tet Yap is a Consultant Andrological surgeon at Guys & St Thomas' Hospital. He qualified with a triple 1st from Cambridge in 2000 and trained in Surgery & Urology in the North Thames region including at University College London (where he completed his research MD), Charing Cross Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and St Bartholomew's Hospital, winning numerous awards and prizes for his research and surgical work.

He has been involved in the setting up of the complex benign andrological service at St George’s Hospital and led the development of a South-West London regional male fertility unit as well as the andrological services at the Royal Marsden. He is now based at Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust where he continues spearheading regional andrological and male infertility services and research, including leading the world’s first multidisciplinary clinic specifically dedicated to Klinefelter syndrome for both adults and children, as well as the KCL Men's Health Inequalities Research Unit.