Dr Higgins is awarded the BTS Medal for his contribution to the Society over many years in a number of roles including Chair of the Standards of Care Committee, Honorary Secretary and Chair of the Executive Committee, and more widely for his contribution to respiratory medicine in the UK and internationally, in particular for his leadership and commitment to national asthma Guidelines.
Bernard is a consultant in respiratory medicine in Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, with a special interest in Lung cancer and asthma. He is a member of the Severe Asthma service, a founder of the Regional Severe Asthma Network in the North East and Cumbria and a former director of the Northern Respiratory Training Programme.
Dr Higgins led the development of the first BTS/SIGN Asthma guidelines in 2003 and was involved in many subsequent revisions, and was instrumental in the recent agreement for a single national asthma guideline to be developed by BTS/SIGN and NICE.
His interest in guidelines reflects in his current role as Clinical Director of the NICE National Guidelines Committee, for which he worked for many year in the development of several guidelines, both within and beyond respiratory Medicine.
A prolific researcher in severe asthma, Bernard has had key roles in several national consortia and trials as principal investigator, publishing consistently for over 30 years in high impact respiratory journals making a significant contribution to evidence-based clinical practice.
Professor John Moxham receives the BTS Medal in recognition of his great contributions in respiratory physiology, non-invasive ventilation, pulmonary rehabilitation, the better understanding of breathlessness and tireless work in tobacco control.
Until his recent retirement, Professor Moxham was Professor of Respiratory Medicine at King’s College London and Director of Clinical Strategy at King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. Before this role, he served as Medical Director of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
John Moxham had a long and distinguished career in respiratory medicine and healthcare leadership, as well as being very active in lobbying to change national tobacco policy, an interest that saw him become the first Chair of the BTS Tobacco Committee, Chair of the campaigning group Doctors for Tobacco Law and Chair of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
Through his clinical leadership Kings Health Partners has produced significant work of national and international importance in both Value Based Health Care and Public Health. An important contribution to medical education was the widely known and appreciated Churchill-Livingstone Textbook of Medicine, which he edited with Professor Souhami.
More on the BTS Medal
The BTS Medal is awarded annually to a distinguished person who has greatly contributed to respiratory medicine or science. This prestigious award aims to acknowledge the recipient's leadership in and contribution to clinical and/or scientific work which has resulted in benefit to patients and the inspiration of peers.
London, London WC1N 2PL
10/12/2025 05:45:37
British Thoracic Society
