Dame Pamela Jean Shaw is a British consultant neurologist and professor of neurology at the

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

. She is the founder and director of the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience
SITraN
, and in 2019 was appointed to lead the

National Institute for Health Research The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is the British government's major funder of clinical, public health, social care and translational research. With a budget of over £1.2 billion in 2020–21, its mission is to "improv ...

(NIHR
Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre

Education

In 1979 Shaw graduated with first class honours in medicine from the University of Newcastle and was awarded several prizes during her undergraduate degree. She subsequently undertook further training in neurology at Newcastle, worked towards the award of

Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (MRCP(UK)) is a postgraduate medical diploma in the United Kingdom (UK). The examinations are run by the Federation of the Medical Royal Colleges – the Royal College of Phys ...

and was awarded an MD degree in 1988. Her doctoral work was on the neurological and neuropsychological complications of coronary bypass surgery.

Research and career

She specialises in the "molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration and neuroprotection in disorders of the motor system (

motor neurone disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

and HSP)". Since 1991, long-term funding from the

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of Burroughs Wellcome, one of the predec ...

has supported her research group to study the source of neurodegenerative disorders of the human motor system. They have been able to implicate various subcellular pathways and cellular features in susceptibility. In addition, they have screened candidates for potential treatment for these disorders. This work contributed to evidence underpinning the use of

riluzole Riluzole is a medication used to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other motor neuron diseases. Riluzole delays the onset of ventilator-dependence or tracheostomy in some people and may increase survival by two to three months. Ril ...

in motor neurone disease. In 1997 she was appointed Professor of Neurological Medicine at the University of Newcastle and in 2000 she moved to the

as Professor of Neurology. She developed training and research in clinical neuroscience at Sheffield, building on the excellent clinical expertise in the department. Shaw has been chair of the Clinical Research and Academic Committee of the Association of British Neurologists.

Awards

Shaw held a Wellcome Senior Fellowship in Clinical Science from 1991 - 2000 and she is currently a Senior Investigator at the NIHR. In 2014, she was made a

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

. In 2019 she was awarded the GL Brown prize lecture by the

Physiological Society The Physiological Society, founded in 1876, is an international learned society for physiologists with headquarters in the United Kingdom and Ireland. History The Physiological Society was founded in 1876 as a dining society "for mutual benefit ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Pamela Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Living people Alumni of Newcastle University Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Academics of the University of Sheffield British neurologists Women neurologists NIHR Senior Investigators