The president of PMRGCAuk has been recognised in the New Years Honours list. Professor Dasgupta was awarded an MBE for his services for people with polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis.
Prof. Dasgupta studied first in India and then at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton and later at Guys Hospital, London. In a stellar medical career specialising in PMR and GCA, he has many achievements to his name. He was the lead and first author of the BSR (British Society of Rheumatology) guidelines for PMR and GCA – the first guidelines in the world to be published for these conditions.
Along with his team at Southend University Hospital, he developed a fast-track pathway for rapid review and treatment of patients with suspected GCA. He also lobbied alongside former charity trustee (and now patron), Dorothy Byrne, for tocilizumab to be made available to GCA patients. Throughout his career, he has published research papers on many aspects of PMR and GCA.
In 2008, he met with the original ‘PMR Fighters’ and the groundwork for a new charity dedicated to patients with PMR and GCA began. PMRGCAuk was officially launched in 2010 with Prof. Dasgupta as president – a role he continues to this day.
Prof. Humphrey Hodgson, Chair of PMRGCAuk said, “Bhaskar Dasgupta has contributed enormously to the recognition, diagnosis and treatment of PMR and GCA, diseases which are often poorly recognised and inadequately treated. In addition to his work as a consultant rheumatologist in the NHS, he has pioneered pathways to diagnosis and treatment that have been adopted nationally and internationally. As president of PMRGCAuk, the charity supporting and advocating for people with these conditions, he has provided huge support and leadership. We are delighted this has been recognised by this honour.”
Although now retired from the NHS, Prof. Dasgupta continues seeing patients in his private practice, supporting the charity, and leading research for better understanding and treatment of both diseases.
