2015 Rutherford Medal winner announced

  • Steven Joyce
Science and Innovation

Distinguished Professor Ian Reid has been announced the 2015 Rutherford Medal winner by Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce.

Professor Reid, from Auckland University’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, was awarded the prestigious scientific honour during the New Zealand Research Honours Dinner in Auckland this evening. 

He was also presented with the Health Research Council of New Zealand’s (HRC) Liley Medal at the annual event for his outstanding contribution to research in health and medical sciences.

A Fellow of the Royal Society and internationally acclaimed for developing the treatments now available for bone diseases, Professor Reid is being recognised for his exceptional work in the field of medicine.

“Professor Reid has long taken a leadership role in health research and has won many other major awards in New Zealand and internationally. His scientific productivity is enormous, with more than 550 publications, including seven in The Lancet and eight in the British Medical Journal,” Mr Joyce says.

“In the 1980s, he performed the first successful trial of a class of drugs which slows or stops the natural process that dissolves bone tissue, and he continued to work in this area. Today’s drugs only need to be taken yearly or less and result in a 50 per cent reduction in fracture risk for those with osteoporosis.

“He also looked at using the same class of drugs for treating the debilitating bone condition of Paget’s disease. This is a chronic disorder which can result in enlarged, misshapen bones and affects up to seven per cent of older New Zealanders. Treatment has proven to be highly successful in this condition and it is now the first-line therapy for Paget’s disease internationally.”

“Professor Reid’s work in the medical field has also looked at the risks and benefits of calcium, vitamin D and other medicines for bone health and the impact of diseases such as HIV on bone health.

“All these outstanding contributions make him a worthy recipient of this year’s Rutherford Medal.”

The Rutherford Medal, which carries a $100,000 prize, was first presented in 1991. It is the highest honour awarded by the Royal Society of New Zealand on behalf of the Government and acknowledges a lifetime of significant scholarly research and the promotion of this knowledge to New Zealand.