The Unit
History of the MRC Epidemiology Unit
The MRC Epidemiology Unit was established in October 2003 by the Medical Research Council with the appointment of Professor Nick Wareham to the position of Director. The Unit originally consisted of four scientific programmes all run by Nick Wareham:
- diabetes and obesity aetiology
- growth and development
- physical activity epidemiology
- prevention.
In 2005, Dr Simon Griffin was recruited as group leader for the Prevention of Obesity and Diabetes programme and Dr Ken Ong as group leader for the Child Growth and Development programme.
In the autumn of 2007, Dr Ulf Ekelund was appointed to head up the Physical Activity Epidemiology programme and Dr Ruth Loos took up the role of head of a new separate programme looking at the Aetiology of Obesity.
We are currently developing an independent Nutritional Epidemiology programme led by Dr Nita Forouhi.
As these programmes have developed, each team leader has established a team of investigator scientists, career development fellows (CDFs or post-docs) and PhD students.
When the MRC Epidemiology Unit was first established in 2003 the MRC decided that it should be housed within a purpose-built facility alongside other research groups specialising in metabolic disorders like obesity and type 2 diabetes. The Unit was to become part of the Institute of Metabolic Science, a private finance initiative (PFI) building on the Addenbrooke’s Hospital site in Cambridge jointly run by the NHS/University/MRC. Whilst this facility was being built the MRC Epidemiology Unit was based within the University of Cambridge Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the Strangeways Research Laboratories and also in the Elsie Widdowson Laboratory in Fulbourn, Cambridge.
The Institute of Metabolic Science was completed in 2007 and the official opening took place in July 2008.
Artist's impression of the Institute of Metabolic Science building
Timeline
| 2003 |
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| 2005 |
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| 2007 |
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| 2008 |
