I am delighted and more than a little surprised to receive the President's Medal for my part in developing a systems approach to improvements in healthcare. This transformational work has been many years in the making, made possible by the contributions of colleagues in Cambridge, the Healthcare Thinking in Systems Working Group and the outstanding team at the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Professor John Clarkson

The President's Medal is awarded to a Fellow of the RAEng who has contributed significantly to the Academy's aims and work through their initiative in promoting excellence in engineering.

Professor Clarkson is an international leader in systems thinking, especially in healthcare. His work is a core element of the Academy’s flagship Policy Fellowship programme and has placed the Academy at the centre of systems thinking in government.

Following a successful career at PA Consulting, Professor Clarkson joined the University of Cambridge where he is head of the Engineering Design Centre. His involvement with the Academy’s policy work began in the mid-2010s when he chaired the Engineering Better Care Working Group. This brought healthcare and engineering communities together to develop a framework for embedding the key engineering principles of inclusive design, risk and systems thinking into healthcare improvement practices.

Professor Clarkson has subsequently worked tirelessly to see the published framework implemented and have real world impact, developing a variety of training packages and supporting materials. He is currently developing a new ‘Improving Improvement Toolkit’ for use across Lancashire and South Cumbria, supporting the redesign of hospital discharge processes in acute and mental health care, and bringing a systems approach to the delivery of advanced diagnostics for Alzheimer’s Disease.

Professor Clarkson has also made a huge contribution to UK engineering research. Nominated by the Academy, he chaired the REF 2021 Engineering sub-panel 12, leading more than 70 reviewers of more than 18,000 research outputs across a vast portfolio. 

In addition to his research, Professor Clarkson also works with faculties at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, King’s College London and the University of Cambridge to teach systems thinking to engineers, designers, healthcare professionals, and service providers. 2023 has been a notable year for Professor Clarkson.

In April, he was awarded an Excellence Fund from Delft University of Technology, and in July, he received an honorary doctorate from Brunel University London in recognition of his distinguished contribution to the field of engineering.

Professor Clarkson says:

"I am delighted and more than a little surprised to receive the President's Medal for my part in developing a systems approach to improvements in healthcare. This transformational work has been many years in the making, made possible by the contributions of colleagues in Cambridge, the Healthcare Thinking in Systems Working Group and the outstanding team at the Royal Academy of Engineering."

Professor Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, says:

“John Clarkson has worked tirelessly to embed systems thinking into policy and practice. He is a UK leader in engineering policy work, alongside his many contributions throughout a remarkable career in healthcare engineering. The impact of his work is far-reaching and I am delighted to acknowledge his valuable work at the intersection of healthcare provision and engineering.”

The medal was presented at the Academy’s AGM in London on 19 September by the Academy’s President Professor Sir Jim McDonald.