Professor McFarland, the Action Medical Research Professor of Neuromuscular Disease at Newcastle University, is also Director of the NHS Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Disorders (Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust). He leads a team of clinicians, nurses and allied health professionals dedicated to the diagnosis and management of mitochondrial disease.

The 2026 TIME100 Health List spotlights the 100 most influential leaders this year who have pushed new ideas to build healthier populations around the world. They have listed Professor McFarland as a pioneer for redefining reproduction.

Professor McFarland has made significant contributions to mitochondrial research with over 220 peer-reviewed publications, many in high impact journals such as Lancet and NEJM. He recently published a paper on the birth of 8 babies following a pioneering IVF technique reducing the risk of mitochondrial diseases.

He has been at the forefront of the introduction of mitochondrial donation, a pioneering technique to prevent transmission of mitochondrial disease, to the UK and leads the neurodevelopmental outcome study to assess the safety and efficacy of this technique.

He has also championed public and policy engagement to improve public understanding of decision-making in life-limiting diseases affecting children, including the introduction of mitochondrial donation as a reproductive option

Professor Quentin Anstee, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Medical Sciences said: “The work of the team in Newcastle is transforming the lives of families affected by mitochondrial disease. Professor McFarland’s role in bringing pioneering University research together with NHS services to make that transformation possible is rightly recognised by this award. Having fostered this research within the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Newcastle University for over a decade, we are proud to see how it is improving the health and futures of families.”

The close association of Professor McFarland’s research and clinical work pays dividends in driving recruitment to the extremely successful national mitochondrial disease patient study which now has more than 2,200 participants. This leads to the rapid translation of research breakthroughs into clinical practice, directly benefiting patients.

The full list appear in the 23^rd February issue and online.