Both Kofoworola and Sir James exemplify the ethos of service to society that has been at the heart of King’s mission for nearly 200 years, and their achievements reflect the lasting impact our community has made, and continues to make, on society.
Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice Chancellor of King's College London
15 October 2025
St Paul's Cathedral honours King's alumni
New plaques have been unveiled at the famous landmark for Kofoworola Abeni Pratt (Nursing, 1950) and Professor Sir James Black.
St Paul’s Cathedral has this week unveiled plaques honouring King’s nursing alum Kofoworola Abeni Pratt and former King’s Professor of Analytical Pharmacology Sir James Black.
Kofoworola Abeni Pratt was a trailblazing nurse and healthcare leader whose legacy continues to inspire nurses across generations. Sir James Black was a Nobel-prize winning pharmacologist who transformed modern medicine.
New plaques honouring both their lives can now be found in the cathedral which is home to many memorials for notable figures from history. At the unveiling ceremony led by the Dean of St Paul's The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, family members Dr Olamidé Pratt and Lady Black were joined by King's Vice Chancellor Professor Shitij Kapur and King's Dean The Reverend Dr Ellen Clark-King.
During the ceremony, addresses were given by Professor Ajay Shah, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, and Shelley McLetchie, Associate Dean (EDI) of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care. The Choir of King's College London also performed during the service held in the Chapel in the Crypt at St Paul’s.
Professor Kapur, who gave a reading during the ceremony said he was “extremely proud” that the two alumni had been honoured in this way.
The Reverend Dr Ellen Clark-King, who led one of the prayers, said it was a powerful tribute to the legacy of both Kofoworola and Sir James that "they are now memorialised in the heart of London alongside the likes of Florence Nightingale and Alexander Fleming."
We hope that their examples of intellectual curiosity, service to others, and resilient determination will be an inspiration for generations of King’s students and staff.
The Reverend Dr Ellen Clark-King, Dean of King’s College London
Kofoworola was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1915, and moved to London in 1946 to train at the Nightingale School at St Thomas’ Hospital, now the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care. She was among the first Black nurses working in the NHS, and on returning to Nigeria she became Chief Nursing Officer for Nigeria, and later Lagos State’s Commissioner of Health. Her achievements won her the Florence Nightingale Medal and Fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing.
Sir James, originally born in Scotland, developed propranolol, the first beta-blocker and cimetidine, the first histamine H2 antagonist – drugs that revolutionised treatment for angina, hypertension and stomach ulcers. It was while working at King’s as Professor of Analytical Pharmacology that he received the Nobel Prize for his innovative approach to drug design.
In intellectual terms the last five years at King's have been the most productive in my life. Surrounded by talented researchers and PhD students, I feel I have found my niche at last.
Sir James Black in his speech given on the acceptance of his Nobel Prize.
He also founded a non-profit research group, was elected to the British Pharmacological society and received both the Wellcome Gold Medal in 1997 and the Order of Merit in 2000.
Learn about other notable alumni of King’s College London and their achievements.
Images credit: Graham Lacdao/St Paul’s Cathedral