Professor Stuart Elborn SAB Chair for the LifeArc Translational Centres for Rare Disease programme.
He is a distinguished respiratory physician, clinical scientist and academic leader whose work has transformed care for people with cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis. Over more than four decades, he has combined clinical practice, translational research and strategic leadership to improve respiratory healthcare in the UK and internationally.
After training in Belfast, he helped establish adult cystic fibrosis services in Nottingham and Cardiff before returning to Northern Ireland in 1995 to found the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre at Belfast City Hospital. He went on to develop internationally recognised clinical and research programmes in cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis, leading major trials that contributed to transformative therapies and evidence-based clinical guidelines. Professor Elborn has held senior clinical and academic appointments at Queen’s University Belfast, Imperial College London and the Royal Brompton Hospital. At Queen’s, he served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Medicine, Health and Life Sciences and subsequently as Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor.
An internationally recognised leader in cystic fibrosis, Professor Elborn served as President of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society (ECFS), where he helped strengthen collaboration among clinicians, scientists and patient communities across Europe. In 2019, he received the ECFS Award for his outstanding contribution to cystic fibrosis research, clinical care and scientific leadership. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013 for services to healthcare in Northern Ireland and received the British Thoracic Society Medal in 2024 for his exceptional contribution to respiratory medicine.
Since retiring from executive university leadership in 2024, Professor Elborn has continued to contribute to healthcare, research and innovation through governance and advisory appointments with LifeArc, QUBIS and the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, where he became Chair in 2026. At LifeArc, he is a Senior Adviser, supporting programmes that accelerate the translation of research into improved treatments for respiratory conditions and rare diseases. He serves on grant-awarding and scientific review committees that identify and support promising research with the potential to benefit patients and families. Elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2020, he serves as the Academy’s Northern Ireland Champion. He also contributes to several Academy committees, including Sectional Committees and initiatives supporting equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), helping to advance excellence and opportunity in biomedical and health research across the UK.
