Gabriel Stavros PANAYI was born on the 9th November 1940 at Kato Drys. His parents are Stavros (deceased) and Maria (nee Tarsides). He is the eldest of 4 children: Panico, Despina and Paraskevi.

He was first taken to England in 1946 for 2 years and then returned to Kato Drys with his brother (just 13 months younger) in 1948 where they stayed for 2 years. For this time they went to the school in the village so as to acquire some knowledge of Greek; this was the reason for their return. It is undoubted that it was during this stay that the two brothers developed their passionate love for Kato Drys.

On returning to England, Lakis (as he is familiarly known) went to the Royal Grammar School, Lancaster, where he was the star pupil winning most of the prizes every year. His father had a restaurant in the nearby town of Morecambe in which he and his brother and sister Dena worked during the summer season.

At the age of 19, in 1959, he went to the University of Cambridge (Gonville and Caius College) where he studied medicine. His clinical studies were at St Mary’s Hospital, London. He graduated as a doctor in 1962.

After various hospital posts, necessary for gaining clinical experience, he trained in immunology research first at the Wright Fleming Institute, St Mary’s Hospital, London, and then at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, London (1967-1970). It was at the latter that he first developed his interest in rheumatology. From 1970-1973 he was Research Fellow at the Rheumatic Diseases Unit, University of Edinburgh, where he learnt clinical rheumatology from the late Professor Ian Duthie, one of the foremost rheumatologists of his time. Concurrently he began research work into the immunological mechanisms, which lead to joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis. He obtained the Membership of the Royal College of Physicians.

In 1973 he was appointed Arthritis and Rheumatism Council Lecturer in Rheumatology at Guy’s Hospital, London. In 1976 he was appointed Senior Lecturer and honorary consultant in Rheumatology. He was made ARC Professor of Rheumatology in 1980; prior to this appointment there had not been academic rheumatology at Guy’s Hospital Medical School.

With the union of the Medical Schools of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals in 1982 and the union of the two hospitals in 1992, he is now head of the Academic Unit of Rheumatology Unit at these institutions. In addition to his clinical and teaching responsibilities, he runs a large laboratory-based research group.

His research interests include the mechanisms of joint inflammation and destruction in the common and crippling disease of rheumatoid arthritis and its treatment. He and his group have been responsible for many original and pioneering studies, which have been recognised by the award of research grants, eponymous lectureships and invitations to participate at international conferences. He has published over 300 research papers, numerous review articles and chapters in books and has edited or written several books on clinical and research aspects of rheumatology.

He was made Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1984. For his research work, Cambridge University awarded him an MD with the Sir Lionel Whitby Gold Medal and he was given a Doctor of Science degree for his scientific work. This degree is the highest degree that a university can award to a scientist.

He is past President of the British Society of Rheumatology. He is an honorary life member of the Hellenic, Italian and Spanish Rheumatology Societies.