Andrew John Lees

Andrew John Lees is a renowned Professor of Neurology at University College London (UCL) and Honorary Consultant Neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square. He has held leadership roles including Director of the Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies (1998–2012) and Director of the Sara Koe PSP Research Centre (2002–2012). A pioneer in Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, he co-founded the Movement Disorder Society and co-edited the Movement Disorders Journal (1995–2003).

• Education: Qualified in Medicine at the Royal London Hospital Medical College (1970), with neurological training at UCL Hospitals, Queen Square, and L’Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, Paris.

His research focuses on Parkinson’s disease, neuropsychiatry, and movement disorders. He developed the Queen Square Brain Bank criteria for Parkinson’s diagnosis and pioneered the use of apomorphine for advanced Parkinson’s complications. His work has significantly advanced understanding of progressive supranuclear palsy and parkinsonism.

Lees has received numerous accolades, including the Jay Van Andel Award (2014), Bing Spear Award (2016), and Dingebauer Prize (2012). He has delivered prestigious lectures such as the Gowers Memorial Lecture (2007) and the Macdonald Critchley Lecture (2023). Internationally recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher with an h-index of 140, he remains a leading figure in neurology.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Chester L Stephens Sr. Lecture (2021)
  • FitzPatrick Lecture (2019)
  • FRCP(Ed) (2017)
  • FMedSci (2009)
  • FRCP (1987)
  • Donald Calne Award (2017)
  • Bing Spear Award (2016)
  • ABN Medallist (2015)
  • Jay Van Andel Award (2014)
  • Dingebauer Prize (2012)
  • Honorary Foreign Member, Academia Nacional de Medicina, Brazil (2011)

Lees has mentored numerous professionals, including Oliver Sacks, and served on advisory panels such as the MRC and UK Government’s NICE Guideline Development Group for Parkinson’s Disease (2016–2019). He co-founded the Movement Disorder Society and held editorial roles at Behavioural Neurology and Movement Disorders.