Leadership donation honours 20-year doctor-patient relationship

Professor David Taube (pictured) was Mr Sidharth Burman's doctor at Hammersmith Hospital for nearly 20 years.

A £1,000,000 gift to renal medicine commemorates the life of Sidharth Burman and recognises the work of his doctor, Professor David Taube.

Mr Burman, who passed away in October 2015, was a patient of Imperial’s Professor David Taube at Hammersmith Hospital for nearly 20 years. In later life, Mr Burman expressed his desire to leave a gift to the College, which would fund a new Chair in Renal Medicine and support research into better treatments for people affected by kidney disease. His family made the donation in 2016, in honour of Mr Burman’s wishes. The new chair will be known as the Sidharth Burman & Professor David Taube Chair in Renal Medicine, recognising the close relationship that formed between them over the years.

Once appointed, the Sidharth Burman & Professor David Taube Chair will lead research within the Renal and Vascular Inflammation Section of the Department of Medicine's Division of Immunology and Inflammation, and carry out clinical work at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust's Renal and Transplant Centre at Hammersmith Hospital – one of the largest centres for renal medicine and transplantation in Europe. The creation of the five-year post will bring world-class academic leadership across both clinical work and research in renal medicine. By bridging these two areas at a strategic level, the post-holder will be primed to initiate new and innovative work across the field, and ensure the speedy translation of research findings into patient benefit.

Professor Taube said: “Over the past twenty years I became very close with Sidharth and his family, and am deeply honoured that he wished to make such a generous contribution to the College. This gift will help us to better understand the causes of renal disease and deliver better treatments and health outcomes for patients. The creation of the Chair is a fitting tribute to Sidharth’s memory, and will enable us to help many more people who are affected by kidney disease in the future.”

The Burman family’s support will give a significant boost to renal medicine at Imperial in both the short and long term, helping the team to find better solutions to current challenges in renal medicine and improve the lives of patients around the world.