About Prof. Chris Redman

Chris Redman began his career in Obstetric Medicine in Oxford in1976 and in 1992 became the world's first holder of a Chair of Obstetric Medicine. His clinical research began in the 1970's with a randomised controlled trial of the treatment of hypertension in pregnancy, which still stands as a reference for the safety of prescribing methyl dopa in pregnancy. His focus of interest then moved to pre-eclampsia.

He established Oxford as a centre of excellence for the management of high risk pregnancy, known locally as the “Silver Star Unit”. He has continued to be at the forefront of clinical practice and teaching, making major contributions to the diagnosis and management of the disorder. He was co-chairman of the CLASP trial of low-dose aspirin for high-risk pregnancies, a major collaborator in the VIP trial and more recently is hosting the SPRINT (selenium in pregnancy) trial. In 1990, with Isabel Walker, he founded Action on Pre-eclampsia (APEC), for which he continues to be a Trustee.

Early on in his career, Chris recognized that pre-eclampsia could not be diagnosed logically or treated without a clearer scientific understanding of its pathogenesis, which was not then available. In his quest to find the cause of pre-eclampsia Chris has steered his research in many directions from immunology to placental and vascular biology. He has always been at the forefront of thinking in this field, presenting challenging new ideas which have reshaped our understanding of the disease. His most noted contributions include the first description of HLA-G expression by placental trophoblast, the recognition that the key maternal immune event in pre-eclampsia is systemic inflammation and that the shedding of excessive placental material (both soluble factors and placental debris) may be the trigger for this response.

His time in Oxford has been a “Golden Age” for clinicians and researchers alike. Over the years there has been a steady stream of trainees, doing clinical and laboratory research, who have benefited from Chris’s expertise and guidance. He has also played a major role in promoting research on pre-eclampsia worldwide through his involvement with the ISSHP, recently as President of the Society.

Although Chris officially retires from his post in September 2009, we are certain that his interest and involvement in our field will continue for many years to come.