‘Distinguished’ GP and clinical researcher Professor Pali Hungin has been inaugurated as the new BMA president at the Annual Representative Meeting in Belfast today.
Professor Hungin is currently a professor of primary care and general practice at Durham University, and has previously served as a foundation dean of medicine.
Having graduated from Newcastle upon Tyne Medical School Professor Hungin became a GP in Stockton-On-Tees while continuing his special interest in gastroenterology as a hospital practitioner.
The BMA wrote he assumes the role ’after a distinguished career as a GP and in clinical research, particularly into the early diagnosis of long-term conditions.’
Professor Hungin said the appointment was a privilege at a ‘crucial time’ for the NHS and the profession.
He added: ‘I hope that my experience as both a GP and more recently in medical academia will help me to bring a distinct perspective to take this role forward and I very much look forward to working with the BMA over the coming year to promote the values of clinicians and patients, the role of the doctor in modern society and the NHS that we all cherish.’
He succeeds renowned paediatrician Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green, who had been president since June 2015.
