Public Health Heroes Awards Ceremony

With a remarkable career spanning more than a half century, Sir Richard Doll has distinguished himself as one of the world’s foremost epidemiologists and a widely respected cancer researcher.

In fact, the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer was proved by Sir Richard and his colleague, Sir Austin Bradford-Hill, in 1950 while they were working at the British Medical Research Council's Statistical Research Unit. The following year they questioned 40,000 British doctors about their smoking habits. As a result they were able to confirm the link between smoking and lung cancer, as well as other diseases such as coronary thrombosis. His 1994 report on 40 years of follow-up of a group of British doctors is considered the definitive paper on the health consequences of smoking.

Sir Richard's work has been highly influential both in its results and methods. With his collaborators, he has been successful in promoting the use of numerical methods throughout medicine, both in the design of clinical trials as well as in epidemiology.

Sir Richard remains an active participant in studying issues related to research on high voltage power lines, electromagnetic fields and cancer, and the causes of childhood leukemia. He has received numerous national and international awards for his research contributions. He was knighted in 1971, and made a Companion of Honor in 1996.

Award Presenter

Presenting Sir Richard with the Heroes award is Patricia A. Buffler, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of epidemiology and former dean, UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Professor Buffler, an internationally noted epidemiologist, has long considered Sir Richard among her most important mentors, colleagues, and professional influences.

	2000 International Hero Sir Richard Doll, M.D., D.Sc., D.M.	Other 2000 Heroes National Louis W. Sullivan, M.D. Regional Pamela Arbuckle, D.D.S., M.P.P. Organizational Kaiser Permanente
2000 International Hero - Sir Richard Doll, M.D., D.Sc., D.M. With a remarkable career spanning more than a half century, Sir Richard Doll has distinguished himself as one of the world’s foremost epidemiologists and a widely respected cancer researcher. In fact, the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer was proved by Sir Richard and his colleague, Sir Austin Bradford-Hill, in 1950 while they were working at the British Medical Research Council's Statistical Research Unit. The following year they questioned 40,000 British doctors about their smoking habits. As a result they were able to confirm the link between smoking and lung cancer, as well as other diseases such as coronary thrombosis. His 1994 report on 40 years of follow-up of a group of British doctors is considered the definitive paper on the health consequences of smoking. Sir Richard's work has been highly influential both in its results and methods. With his collaborators, he has been successful in promoting the use of numerical methods throughout medicine, both in the design of clinical trials as well as in epidemiology. Sir Richard remains an active participant in studying issues related to research on high voltage power lines, electromagnetic fields and cancer, and the causes of childhood leukemia. He has received numerous national and international awards for his research contributions. He was knighted in 1971, and made a Companion of Honor in 1996. Award Presenter Presenting Sir Richard with the Heroes award is Patricia A. Buffler, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of epidemiology and former dean, UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Professor Buffler, an internationally noted epidemiologist, has long considered Sir Richard among her most important mentors, colleagues, and professional influences.