Honorary graduates 2011-12

Dr Dennis Gillings CBE (DSc)

Tuesday 19 July 2011 2:00pm

Dr Gillings was born and educated in the UK, receiving both a Bachelor’s degree and PhD in Mathematics from the University of Exeter. He began providing statistical consulting and data management services to pharmaceutical clients in 1974 during his tenure as Professor of Biostatistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr Gillings founded Quintiles in 1982. He took Quintiles public on NASDAQ in 1994 and led its privatisation in 2003. Today, Quintiles is the largest global provider of clinical trials and commercial marketing services to the pharma and biotechnology industry.

With nearly 30 years of experience in drug development applications and theory, Dr Gillings has provided expert consultation to numerous companies and health organisations. He has served on several Advisory Boards and Councils including the Cambridge Judge Business School Advisory Board, the Scottish Enterprise Advisory Board and the International Advisory Council in Singapore. He was also the founding Chairman of the Association of Clinical Research Organisations. He served for more than 15 years as a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science in May 2001. He was honoured by the Queen as Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2004 for services to the Pharmaceutical Industry. He was appointed Pro-Chancellor of Southampton University in 2006. In June 2008, Dr Gillings was made Honorary Fellow of Queen Mary, University of London and was awarded an Honorary DSc at the University of Southampton. In September 2008, the School of Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill was named the Gillings School of Global Public Health. It’s mission is to improve public health, promote individual well-being, and eliminate health disparities across North Carolina and around the world.