Andrew Wakefield

Andrew Wakefield (pronunciation: An-drew Wake-field) is a former British doctor who became controversial for his role in the MMR vaccine controversy.

Etymology

The name 'Andrew' is of Greek origin, derived from 'Andreas', meaning 'manly' or 'brave'. 'Wakefield' is an English surname of toponymic origin, referring to a location in West Yorkshire.

Biography

Andrew Wakefield was born in 1957 in Eton, England. He graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School (now part of Imperial College London) in 1981. Wakefield became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1985 and was accepted into the Royal College of Pathologists in 2001.

Controversy

In 1998, Wakefield, along with 12 co-authors, published a study in the medical journal The Lancet. The study suggested a link between the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, and rubella) and the onset of autism and bowel disease. This led to a significant decrease in vaccination rates and a subsequent increase in measles cases.

However, the study was later retracted by 10 of its 13 authors and The Lancet. It was found that Wakefield had multiple undeclared conflicts of interest and had manipulated evidence. In 2010, the General Medical Council (GMC) found Wakefield guilty of serious professional misconduct and he was struck off the medical register.

Related Terms

External links

Medical encyclopedia article on Andrew Wakefield
Wikipedia's article - Andrew Wakefield

This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.

Languages: - East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski

Andrew Wakefield