Asif Ahmed
Asif is University’s Pro-Vice Chancellor for Health and a member of the University Executive Board where he leads the formulation and implementation of biomedical strategy for the University.
He is responsible to the Vice-Chancellor for overseeing the development and implementation of major new healthcare strategy for the university and leading the strategic direction of healthcare research as well as new teaching developments working across the university to facilitate cross-cutting initiatives in biomedicine, business and engineering; and develop and strengthen new and existing external relationships with international and local universities; NHS partners and other healthcare providers; and with a range of research organisations and funding agencies.
Asif is a world-renowned vascular and obstetric biologist. He holds the Chair of Vascular Biology and is a member of the School of Life and Health Science.
Asif was brought up and educated in North London. He graduated from King’s College with a BSc (Hons) in Pharmacology and went on to obtain a PhD in Surgery from University College London on his work on platelet abnormalities during bypass surgery. His research interests are focused on pregnancy disorders and cardiovascular disease. His work has identified protective enzymes and growth factors, which may prevent preeclampsia, a hypertensive disorder that kills 70,000 pregnant women worldwide each year. Professor Ahmed’s findings are currently being tested in a clinical trial called StAmP using the cholesterol lowering drug pravastatin. This is the world’s first RCT for statins in pregnancy and Professor Ahmed is the Chief Investigator.
Asif joined Aston from University of Edinburgh where he was Assistant Principal for International Post-Doctoral Training and held the Gustav Born Chair of Vascular Biology in the BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences. Previously he was Professor of Reproductive Physiology at the University of Birmingham and also Visiting Professor at Stanford University, California, USA. Professor Ahmed has over 120 articles in high impact peer-reviewed journals, has held worldwide patents and has been highly successful in securing strategic and programme grants from the British Heart Foundation and Medical Research Council. He has served on Medical Research Council Population and Systems Medicine Board and is one of the founding members of the European Vascular Biology Organisation.
