SACRED LEGACY ARCHIVES™

Robert Edwards

1925-09-27 – 2013-04-10

IVF co-developer Robert G. Edwards in 2010Credit: Susannny

Life & Legacy

Sir Robert Geoffrey Edwards (27 September 1925 – 10 April 2013) was a British physiologist and pioneer in reproductive medicine, and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) in particular. Along with obstetrician and gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe and nurse and embryologist Jean Purdy, Edwards successfully pioneered conception through IVF, which led to the birth of Louise Brown on 25 July 1978. They founded the first IVF programme for infertile patients and trained other scientists in their techniques. Edwards was the founding editor-in-chief of Human Reproduction in 1986. In 2010, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for the development of in vitro fertilization".

Occupation & Career

physician, physiologist, biologist, researcher

Education

Bangor University; University of Edinburgh

Accomplishments, Inventions & Publications

Knight Bachelor; Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Fellow of the Royal Society; Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; King Faisal Prize in Medicine; Annual Review Prize Lecture; Eardley Holland Gold Medal; honorary doctor of the University of Valencia; honorary doctorate of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Legacy Highlights

Honors & Awards

Annual Review Prize Lecture · Commander of the Order of the British Empire · Eardley Holland Gold Medal · Fellow of the Royal Society · honorary doctor of the University of Valencia · honorary doctorate of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel · King Faisal Prize in Medicine · Knight Bachelor · Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award · Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine