Professor Francesco Muntoni received one of six President’s Awards from Muscular Dystrophy UK, the leading charity for more than 110,000 children and adults in the UK living with one of over 60 muscle wasting and weakening conditions.

The ceremony hosted by the charity’s President and TV presenter, Gabby Logan MBE, on Monday 19 February, at the Salesforce Tower in the heart of the City of London, saw the return of an in-person event since the pandemic.

Muscular Dystrophy UK President’s Awards recognises heroes within the muscle wasting and weakening community who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference.

Gabby Logan said: “It’s always such a pleasure hosting the Muscular Dystrophy UK President’s Awards, which celebrates the strength and diversity of our fantastic muscle wasting and weakening community. We’re consistently blown away by the dedication and selflessness of people. The awards recognise those outstanding people doing remarkable things to help make a difference. Congratulations to Professor Muntoni for winning one of the awards.

Professor Muntoni is Director of the UCL Genetic Therapy Accelerator Centre (GTAC), Chair of Paediatric Neurology and Director of the Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health.

Having made incredible contributions to the lives of many families within the muscle wasting and weakening community either directly through his clinic or indirectly through the hope his research brings to people. His work is at the forefront of delivering improved lives for those children living with conditions like Duchenne, myotubular myopathy, SMA and many other congenital myopathies and muscular dystrophies.  

Receiving the Richard Attenborough Award for Outstanding Achievement, from Michael Attenborough CBE, who is a long-term supporter of the charity, along with his wife Karen, after hearing about the charity from his late father Lord Richard Attenborough, Professor Muntoni said: “I feel privileged about the long standing collaboration with Muscular Dystrophy UK amongst other things. This has allowed us to work together and establish the national network NorthStar caring for people living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which now represents the largest network for this condition in the world. This has led to many original discoveries into the condition and allowed us to work together with other UK centres.”

There were six awards in total, recognising success in fundraising, caring, volunteering, community engagement and research, as well as an outstanding achievement award. Four award recipients were nominated by staff and the remaining based on external votes. All were shortlisted by a judging panel made up of the charity’s trustees.

Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Chief Executive, Catherine Woodhead, said: “Congratulations to Professor Muntoni for winning one of Muscular Dystrophy UK President’s Awards. We received lots of strong nominations – making the judging process harder than ever. Our deepest thanks to our President, Gabby Logan, for presenting the awards to our worthy winners at the fantastic event. It was a beautiful evening and lovely to be able to recognise people who give their all to making a difference for those living with a muscle wasting and weakening condition.”

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