RCPCH President 2018 - 2021
James Spence Medallist 2026
Russell Viner CBE Professor of Adolescent Health at the UCL Institute of Child Health in London, a paediatrician and adolescent physician working with young people with diabetes at University College Hospital and he directs the Department of Health Obesity Policy Research Unit.
Russell set up the first Adolescent Medicine service in the UK and went on to become the UK's first Professor of Adolescent Health, helping lead a new focus on adolescent healthcare in the UK and Europe. He has acted as an advisor on adolescent health and obesity for the Departments of Health and for Education in England and for the World Health Organisation and Unicef internationally.
His research focuses on population health, policy and health services for children and young people, with a particular focus on obesity. He has published over 200 peer reviewed papers and is currently named on research grants with a collective value of more than £20 million.
Russell Viner has significant ‘hands-on’ experience within the NHS, having been Clinical Director in a busy teaching hospital and clinical director for children and young people for the NHS across London, responsible for leading healthcare strategy for London’s two million children and young people.
Professor Viner served as the RCPCH President from 2018-2021 and was awarded the James Spence medal in 2026.
- Citation for James Spence Medal 2026
Citation submitted in 2025
Professor Viner has had an exceptional influence on paediatrics and child health in the UK, particularly through his pioneering Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ in adolescent health and medicine. He was the key instigator in establishing adolescent health as a recognised discipline in the UK, mentoring and inspiring a generation of clinicians and creating a strong national community of adolescent health specialists.
In 1997, Russell led the establishment of the UK’s first adolescent medicine unit, jointly at University College London Hospitals and Great Ormond Street Hospital. This unit remains an exemplar of adolescent care nationally and internationally, including the development of a pioneering adolescent focused diabetes service addressing the complex needs of young people with long term conditions.
Russell is a highly influential researcher whose work spans diabetes, obesity, mental health, global health and the social determinants of health. In recognition of his research impact, he has been appointed an NIHR Senior Investigator and is the UK’s only Professor of Adolescent Medicine at UCL.
Professor Viner has also played a pivotal role in child health policy. As President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health during the COVID 19 pandemic, and as a member of SAGE, he provided calm, evidence based Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and consistently advocated for children’s rights, including the safe reopening of schools. Few individuals have had such a profound and sustained impact on modern paediatrics.