Gerald Watts
Gerald Watts
Senior Academic, School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia and Consultant Physician, Royal Perth Hospital
Professor GF Watts DSc PhD MD FRACP FRCP (Lond) has been a Senior Academic in the School of Medicine and Pharmacology at the University of Western Australia and Consultant Physician at the Royal Perth Hospital since 1994. His principal research interests are lipoprotein metabolism, clinical lipidology, vascular wall function and diabetic renal disease. He has published extensively in these disciplines, producing key papers on the regression of coronary artery disease, endothelial dysfunction in dyslipidaemia and diabetes, use of stable isotopes in lipoprotein research, and aspects of the detection of early diabetic nephropathy. Prior to moving to Australia, he was one of the first to publish in the fields of diabetic microalbuminuria, stable isotopes in lipoprotein research, vascular dysfunction in hypercholesterolaemia, and most significantly was the leader of the St Thomas’ Atherosclerosis Regression Study. Professor Watts has attracted competitive research funds from national bodies (NH&MRC, NHF, Diabetes Australia, Australia Kidney Foundation) and the pharmaceutical industry, thereby establishing novel techniques for studying vascular wall function and lipoprotein metabolism. He is one of the chief investigators in the NH&MRC funded Centres of Clinical Excellence based at the University of Western Australia and Royal Perth Hospital. Professor Watts has delivered invited lectures in his areas of research to learned societies and academic bodies in Australia, Europe, South Africa, Japan, Israel, Malaysia, Peoples Republic of China and the United States. He has been editor of Lipid Reviews and editorial board member of Endocrinology and Metabolism, and is currently on the editorial board of Clinical Science, Atherosclerosis, and Practical Diabetes International. He is also the immediate Past-President of the Australian Atherosclerosis Society and current Chair of The Familial Hypercholesterolaemia-AAS Committee. As well as being very active in clinical research, Professor Watts oversees the care of acutely ill patients and consults regularly in general medical, lipid disorders and diabetic clinics. He is also Head of the Department of Internal Medicine and Director of the Lipid Disorders Clinic at Royal Perth Hospital. He is actively involved in both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and sits on several committees at Royal Perth Hospital and University of Western Australia.