Richard Coward

Richard Coward is a professor of renal medicine at the University of Bristol, and a Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist at Bristol Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

Richard did his undergraduate training at Bristol University and then specialised in Paediatrics gaining his MRCP in child health. His clinical training was undertaken in the South West of England, Great Ormond Street, London and the Starship hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. It was during this time that he decided to specialise in Paediatric Nephrology. In 2001 he was awarded a PhD fellowship funded by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Wellchild to study the molecular biology of the podocyte. After this he was appointed as a consultant in Paediatric Nephrology at the Royal Hospital for Children in Bristol.

In 2006 he was awarded an MRC Clinican Scientist fellowship enabling him to work in the world leading glomerular laboratory in Toronto, Canada with Professor Susan Quaggin to extend his studies.

In 2013 he secured a prestigious MRC Senior Clinical Fellowship to develop his laboratory and research interests further, whilst continuing to have a clinical commitment in Paediatric Nephrology. In 2011 Richard was promoted to Reader and then in 2014 to Professor of Renal Medicine.

From 2011-2014 Richard was the head of research for the School of Clinical Sciences and co-lead for developing and delivering undergraduate paediatric teaching in the University. He has been the chair of the national clinical study group for paediatric nephrology and the lead for research for the British Association of Paediatric Nephrology (2012-2016). Richard is an active member of several scientific grant committees including the MRC Populations Systems Medicine board, Kidney Research UK board, MRC Stratified Medicine board, MRC College Newton fund and MRC Genome Editing Mice for Medicine (GEMM) panel. He reviews for multiple scientific journals and is the Associate Editor for Nephron Experimental Nephrology. In 2017 Richard was part of the scientific organising committee for the American Society of Nephrology and the Scientific Chair of the 50th Anniversary meeting of the European Society of Paediatric Nephrology.