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Awards for outstanding emergency medicine research leaders

Published: 20 January 2020

The NIHR Clinical Research Network is delighted to announce the winners of the research awards run in partnership with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM). These awards, for members of RCEM, recognise outstanding contributions of principal and young investigators in the conduct of clinical research in the field of emergency medicine.

The Young Investigator of the Year award went to Daniel Whitehouse from Addenbrooke’s Hospital Emergency Department, Cambridge and the Principal Investigator of the Year went to Alex Novak from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

It was a strong field of candidates and those who were shortlisted were asked to present at the RCEM Research Engagement Day on 10 January 2020.

Principal investigator nominees were required to demonstrate an outstanding contribution to:

  • the design, delivery, conduct and/or dissemination of research
  • building research capacity in the specialty.

Young investigator nominees had to submit a research proposal that demonstrated:

  • the potential for the award to develop the academic career of the individual and to lead on to further funding
  • methodological rigour demonstrated in the written proposal and oral presentation
  • evidence of structured and realistic costings that represent value for money to RCEM.

Professor Stephen Smye, NIHR CRN Specialty Cluster Lead said,

“Emergency care is one of the pressure points of the health service and important research questions abound. The RCEM Research Engagement Day on 10 January confirmed the vigour of the multi-disciplinary emergency care research community which is well-placed to address these questions and drive emergency care services of the future."

Since its inception in 2006, the NIHR has significantly increased the scale of clinical research in the NHS, particularly through NIHR CRN. The enthusiastic engagement of consultant and trainee doctors is an essential condition for sustaining and building on this success, particularly given the many competing demands on clinician time and resources. These awards aim to recognise outstanding contributions of NHS clinicians to the conduct of NIHR CRN Portfolio research studies.

Professor Richard Body, Professor of Emergency Medicine, RCEM said,

“These prestigious awards demonstrate the fantastic value that Dr Novak and Dr Whitehouse have added to the field of emergency care research, and it is highly appropriate that both the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and the NIHR Clinical Research Network have recognised their incredible efforts in this way.”

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