Prof Paul M Stewart

CBE, FRCP, FMedSci

Professor of Medicine (Emeritus)

University of Leeds

Profile

Having recently completed 13 years of Executive leadership across Medical Schools and Health Faculties in two of the largest civic Universities in the UK (Birmingham and Leeds), Professor Paul Stewart is Professor of Medicine (Emeritus) at the University of Leeds. He completed 40 years of clinical service in the NHS as a Consultant Endocrinologist in 2022 largely employed through Universities as a Clinical Academic. He received his medical degree from Edinburgh Medical School in 1982 and was awarded an MD with Honours and a Gold Medal in 1988.

Professor Stewart's clinical expertise includes the management of pituitary and adrenal disorders, endocrine hypertension and reproductive medicine. He is passionate about research-informed, high quality, patient-centric clinical care and in former roles served as Clinical Service Lead at University Hospitals Birmingham, inaugural Director of the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network and non-executive Director (2013-2020) at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. As Executive Dean in Leeds he was instrumental in establishing the Leeds Academic Health Partnership and beyond Leeds the Northern Health Science Alliance across where he held Executive roles. Widening access, greater equity, diversity and inclusivity have been core achievements across his leadership roles.

From prismatic clinical cases, Professor Stewart uncovered a novel metabolic pathway that has resulted in a greater understanding of how cortisol works in the body. His research group has focused on cortisol metabolism via 11b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (11b-HSD), and his work has led to new discoveries in hypertension, obesity, ageing and polycystic ovary syndrome. With a strong translational focus and co-partnership with industry, novel inhibitors of this 11b-HSD pathway are moving forward as novel therapies to treat patients with steroid related disorders. He has published >400 original research articles and has trained 40 PhD/MD fellows.

He remains actively involved in nurturing and supporting early research careers and has recently stepped down as Chair of the Clinical Academic Training Forum and President of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences where he served on the Prime Minister’s Council for Science & Technology.

Professor Stewart is a primary investigator within the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Centre in Leeds and an Emeritus NIHR Senior Clinical Investigator. He is trustee/ chair of research and board Vice-Chair at Prostate Cancer UK. He was awarded a CBE in the 2025 King’s new year’s honours list.

He brings a ~25-year history of leadership roles across UK, USA and International Endocrine Societies, Charities and is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, the world’s most cited journal in its discipline.