The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has hosted the Harveian Oration since 1656. This year’s event brought together over 200 RCP fellows and members in person and online to celebrate the significant advancements made in nephrology in the last 75 years.
For centuries this annual event has recognised outstanding contributions to healthcare and encouraged scholarly exchange among the medical profession.
Hosted at the RCP’s northern home at The Spine in Liverpool, the 2025 Harveian Oration was delivered by Professor John Feehally, who explained that kidney failure was uniformly fatal until the middle of the last century.
However, in the past 75 years, technological advances – particularly dialysis – have transformed care. Nephrology is now established as a leading specialty, among the first to embrace multi-professional team working, adopt digital transformation and sustain a national patient registry.
The 2025 Harveian Oration is now available to watch on demand on RCP Player.
Professor John Feehally said:
‘Nephrology has honoured its intellectual base, continuing to transform our understanding of kidney diseases and their treatment. This remarkable growth was only made possible by the qualities and unswerving optimism of early ‘giants’ on whose shoulders we stand.
‘It was a privilege to speak about the significant progress made in this area of medicine and to pay tribute to the field’s pioneers. I hope the Oration provided the opportunity for all attending and watching online to consider how far nephrology has come in such a short time, and how learning from that progress, we can take lessons about where it can go in the future.’
Awards at the Harveian Oration 2025
The evening also celebrated two major RCP research awards.
The Ambuj Nath Bose prize, founded in 1954 on the request of Lieutenant Colonel Ambuj Nath Bose (1890–1948), recognises outstanding research in a field chosen by the RCP Council.
The 2025 prize was awarded to Professor D Nageshwar Reddy for his contributions to endoscopy.
The Graham Bull prize, established in 1988 to commemorate Sir Graham Bull, the first director of the Clinical Research Centre at Northwick Park, supports young researchers under 45 who have made major contributions to clinical science.
The 2025 winner, Dr Amit Sud, was recognised for his research on precision oncology and its impact on the future of cancer care.
As part of his award, Dr Sud will deliver the historic Goulstonian lecture at Med+ 2025, an annual lecture series endowed in 1635 by Mrs Ellen Goulston in memory of her husband, Dr Theodore Goulston FRCP.
Med+ 2025 will take place on 11–12 November, welcoming speakers from across the world for essential clinical updates in over 20 medical specialties. Med+ will take place in person at the RCP at Regent’s Park in London and online. Book your place now.
Professor Mumtaz Patel, president of the RCP, said:
'The Harveian Oration is one of most enduring and prestigious traditions in medicine, which celebrates the remarkable achievements of our profession. It serves as an important moment to reflect on and honour the individuals whose work has transformed patient care and inspires the next generation of clinicians and researchers.
‘This year’s fascinating Oration from Professor Feehally explored the extraordinary progress of my own specialty – nephrology – and I want to sincerely thank him for his inspiring and informative speech.
‘I also want to congratulate the evening’s worthy prize winners, Professor Nageshwar Reddy and Dr Amit Sud. Their outstanding contributions to research exemplify the ever-needed drive within our profession to move forward and improve health outcomes for our patients.’
The Harveian Oration was established in 1656 by William Harvey (1578–1657), the physician who first described the circulation of the blood. Each year, the RCP invites a leading doctor or scientist to speak on issues relating to their field of work.