The 2026 Fellowship election cycle is now open, and it marks the start of a series of transformative changes to ensure our Fellowship reflects the full breadth of talent, disciplines, and experiences across the biomedical and health research community.  

Three sprints to 30 

In October 2024, the Academy’s Council committed to a bold new approach to the existing yearly election review process. They approved a series of three “Fellowship Sprint Groups” to seek new ways to identify candidates and to reform the nomination and selection process, over the 2026, 2027, and 2028 election cycles. These sprints are designed to deliver focused, Fellow-led improvements that will culminate in a more diverse and dynamic Fellowship, whilst not compromising on excellence, in time for the Academy’s 30th anniversary in December 2028. 

The first sprint group, chaired by Academy Registrar, Professor David Adams FMedSci, brought together Fellows from across the UK to define and develop the changes now live for this year’s election cycle. 

While our latest Diversity report highlights positive progress in the gender and racial diversity of new Fellows elected in the past five years, challenges remain within the wider Fellowship. There are also age and geographic disparities, and an under representation of the emerging sectors, disciplines and diverse career pathways that are vital to the Academy addressing the health challenges we face as a society.  

With that in mind, the Sprint Group agreed the first step should be to focus on the election process to ensure our approach truly supports the election of diverse Fellows with subsequent Sprint Groups focusing on identifying candidates from emerging sectors and disciplines.  

“Although starting with process, this campaign is about more than the paperwork, it’s about building a Fellowship that exemplifies the future of science and reflects the society we serve. By evolving how we nominate and elect Fellows, we’re ensuring the Academy remains relevant, representative, and ready for the decades ahead.” 

Professor David Adams FMedSci, Registrar, Academy of Medical Sciences 

Built by Fellows, for Fellows 

Sprint group members consulted widely, including with our 10 Regional Champions, reviewed best practices from other national academies, tested ideas with Fellows and staff and all changes were scrutinised and signed off by the Academy Council. We also drew insights from the President’s regional tour in 2024 and interviews completed for our latest diversity report where Fellows emphasised their ambitions to diversify the Fellowship and their resounding desire to work more with the Academy to do so. The Sprint Group was supported by Inclusive Recruiting, who have developed our past two diversity reports, to ensure the reforms are grounded in best practice, guided by the evidence base in our diversity data and aligned with the Academy’s EDI strategy. The result is a process that remains rigorous, evidence based, and better equipped to recognise excellence in all its forms. 

“These changes are not about lowering the bar—they’re about widening the lens. We’ve worked to remove hidden barriers and create space for excellence in all its forms, so that every candidate has a fair opportunity to be recognised.” 

Professor Franklin Aigbirhio FMedSci, Council EDI Champion, and Sprint Group member 

So, what’s new this year? 

The 2026 cycle introduces several refreshed nomination pages and guidance documents on e-lect. They are designed to be more inclusive, transparent, and supportive of broader candidate experiences —without compromising on excellence.  

Key updates include: 

• Dual Sectional Committee option. Principal nominators are now able to select a second Sectional Committee by exception if a strong case can be made that their candidate’s work falls into the scope of more than one committee. These candidates will be discussed at the Committee Chairs meeting where final decisions will be made. 

• New structure to candidate citations. The candidate citation is now broken into four targeted questions, each with a 300-word limit, to help understand and asses what candidates will bring to the Academy. Citations now focus on the following areas:
  • 1) Exceptional contribution to medical sciences
  • 2) Collaboration and partnerships  
  • 3) Future contribution to the Academy  
  • 4) Impact on wider society 
• Enhancing the role of support nominators. Second and third nominators now have the option of adding comments on questions 3 and 4 of the citation respectively.  

Log in to e-lect today and explore the new nomination form designed to help you tell your candidate’s story more fully and effectively. Be part of the evolution; every nomination helps shape the future of the Academy Fellowship. Your voice and your choices matter. 

“We wanted to make it easier for Fellows to highlight the full range of a candidate’s contributions—not just their publications, but their leadership, collaboration, and impact. The new form gives us the tools to tell those stories more clearly.” 

Professor Muzlifah Haniffa FMedSci, Sprint Group member 

Updating existing nominations: your time makes a big difference 

If you are nominating someone for the first time, you’ll be taken through the new sections automatically. If you’ve nominated a candidate in a previous cycle, you’ll need to make some changes. Around 260 candidates are rolling over into the 2026 cycle, and we’re asking their nominators to update their submissions to align with the new format. 

We know this means a little extra work, but it’s worth it. We’ll be writing to all existing nominators separately to support you to do this. Updating nominations will ensure your candidate is assessed using the most current criteria and help reviewers better understand your nominee’s strengths and potential. Each year we ask existing nominators to update their candidates’ details, and over 80% do so. This year is no different.  

Don’t let your candidate miss out. Candidates whose nominations are not updated will still proceed in the next election cycle, but their submission will not be as detailed as others. Please take a moment to refresh the information for your candidates on e-lect, it could make all the difference. 

Supporting you every step of the way 

We understand that change can raise questions. We’ve developed resources to support you: 

• Updated nomination guidance and FAQs [link when received from Vanessa] 

• Videos from previous nominations masterclasses 

• Top tips for writing successful nominations  

 And of course, our Fellowship Manager, Russell Crandon can provide guidance and support by phone or on [email protected]  

What’s next? 

This is just the beginning. The next two sprint groups will build on this year’s progress, with a focus on broadening the Fellowship’s reach and relevance. Future sprints will also look at how to better identify and attract candidates from fast-growing fields such as AI, data science, and translational research.  

Play your part: Email to express interest in joining future Sprint Groups

Ready to nominate? 

Log into e-lect today to begin your nomination. Whether you’re putting forward a colleague from an emerging discipline, a leader in team science, or someone whose contributions deserve wider recognition—your nomination helps shape the future of the Academy. 

The deadline for nominations this year is Friday 19 September. 

Log in to e-Lect 

Nominate now. Update today. Shape tomorrow.

Fellowship Election Sprint Group members 

• Chair: Professor David Adams FMedSci - Registrar
• Professor Franklin Aigbirhio FMedSci
• Professor Constantin Coussios OBE FREng FMedSci
• Professor Ian Hall FMedSci
• Professor Muzlifah Haniffa FMedSci
• Professor Ronan Lyons OBE FMedSci FLSW
• Professor Jugnoo Rahi FMedSci
• Professor Pauline Williams CBE FMedSci
• Professor Paula Williamson FMedSci