Professor Sasieni is a biostatistician and epidemiologist whose research has had significant impact on cancer control. He is Professor of Cancer Prevention within the School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences where he leads a team taking a population perspective to research on cancer screening, early detection, and prevention. He is joint-lead investigator of the NHS-Galleri trial which is studying screening using a multi-cancer early detection test in a randomised controlled trial that recruited 140,000 people in a record breaking 10 months.

Peter is best known for his work on cervical screening and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The cervical screening audit that he established revealed that cervical screening was very effective in older women but relatively ineffective in very young women. Following this research, the lower age of cervical screening was raised to 25 years and screening intervals were standardised.

He collaborated on the first systematic reviews of HPV testing and was one of the first to call for cervical screening to be based on primary HPV testing. He subsequently led a landmark study showing the dramatic impact of HPV vaccination on reducing cervical cancer rates in England.

He also set up and directs the Cancer Prevention Trials Unit, which has run practice changing research including the International Breast Cancer Intervention Trials, the Trial of E-Cigarettes, and the trials of the Cytosponge in the early detection of Barrett’s oesophagus and the prevention of oesophageal cancer.

Speaking about the appointment, Peter said: “I am honoured and delighted to have been elected as a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. I am grateful to all my colleagues for the support and in particular to those in the clinical trials unit who work with such dedication and passion to ensure that we can deliver high-quality practice-changing clinical trials that lead to better health.

Professor Sasieni is one of 59 influential biomedical and health scientists from across the UK that have been appointed to its respected Fellowship.

The new Fellows have been elected to the Academy in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the advancement of biomedical and health science, cutting-edge research discoveries, and translating developments into benefits for patients and wider society.

Other King's fellows elected this year include:

• Sebastien Ourselin FREng FMedSci, Professor of Healthcare Engineering, King's College London
• Ulrike Schmidt FMedSci, Professor of Eating Disorders, King's College London

Based in Central London, the Academy’s global mission is to help create an open and progressive research sector to improve the health of people everywhere.

Its key strategic priorities include supporting researchers with funding and career development, and creating a more sustainable environment for delivering research.