Sir Roger Bannister is a British neurologist who, as a young medical student, ran the first sub-four-minute mile, in 1954. Back then, the four-minute mile was — according to legend — human impossibility. But on May 6, 1954, Sir Roger accomplished the "impossible" — what some have called one of the greatest athletic feats of the 20th century.

After retiring from athletics, Sir Roger pursued a 40-year career in neurology. Among his many contributions to this field was in the study of autonomic failure. He is an internationally recognized researcher and author in the field, and is the former director of the National Hospital for Nervous Disease in London.