Awards recognise research staff at celebration event

Researchers who support the work of the NIHR were recognised with awards at a celebration event this month.

Nine awards (see below for the full list) were given out in recognition of their contributions to the work of the NIHR Clinical Research Network Thames Valley and South Midlands (LCRN).

They were part of an event celebrating 10 years of the LCRN which also included speeches from research staff in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire and a study participant.

The Celebrating the NIHR Clinical Research Network in Thames Valley & South Midlands event was held in Oxford on 2 July and hosted by Joe Harrison, Chief Executive, Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Dr Nick Thomas, the LCRN’s Clinical Director.

It was held to mark the achievements of the network ahead of its transition to a new Regional Research Delivery Network on 1 October.

All-round High Performing Team

• Winner: ASCEND PLUS team, University of Oxford
• Highly commended: Children's Research Teams, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Highly commended: Primary Care Research Facilitators, NIHR Clinical Research Network Thames Valley and South Midlands
• Highly commended: Research and Innovation Team, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

Outstanding CI

• Winner: Prof Jeremy Tomlinson, Professor of Metabolic Endocrinology, University of Oxford
• Highly commended: Dr Dimitrios Koutoukidis, Senior Researcher, University of Oxford
• Highly commended: Dr Sheraz Markar, Associate Professor, University of Oxford

Outstanding Contribution to Children's Research (Memorial Award)

• Joint winner: Dr Dominic Kelly, Consultant in Paediatrics and Vaccinology, University of Oxford
• Joint winner: Emma Gammin, Team Leader Women’s and Children's Research, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

Outstanding PI or Associate PI

• Winner: Dr Patrick Bose, Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
• Highly commended: Dr Edoardo Giuseppe Ostinelli, honorary consultant psychiatrist and Senior Researcher & Deputy Lead, Oxford Precision Psychiatry Lab (OxPPL), University of Oxford
• Highly commended: Dr Maurizio Belci, Consultant in Spinal Cord Injuries, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
• Highly commended: Dr Wasiru Saka, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Outstanding Research Team Leader

• Winner: Mark Brunton, Research Team Leader, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
• Highly commended: Ellie Corps, Cardiovascular Research Team Manager, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Highly commended: Penny Carter, Musa Kamfose and Wendy Byrne, Direct Delivery Team, NIHR Clinical Research Network Thames Valley and South Midlands

Outstanding Research Team Member

• Winner: Kerri Dempster, Patient, Carer and Public Involvement and Engagement Manager, NIHR Clinical Research Network Thames Valley and South Midlands
• Highly commended: Chris Hille, Research Delivery Manager. NIHR Clinical Research Network Thames Valley and South Midlands
• Highly commended: Diana Pattinson and Emma Donaldson, Clinical Research Practitioner and R&D Operations Manager, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Highly commended: Louise Pollard, Junior Project Manager, University of Oxford

Research Nurse of the Year

• Winner: Rebecca Law, Paediatric Research Nurse, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Highly commended: Alice Ngumo, Lead Clinical Research Nurse Cancer and Haematology, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
• Highly commended: Jo Hand, Commercial Research Team Lead, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
• Highly commended: Karen Wilmott, Research Nurse, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

Research Rising Star

• Winner: Jamie Crane, Research Speech and Language Therapist, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Highly commended: Dr Alex Scrivens, Clinical Research Fellow, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Highly commended: Dr Beenish Iqbal, Pleural research fellow, University of Oxford
• Highly commended: Teena Babu, Research Nurse, Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Study of the Year

• Winner: ASCEND PLUS, University of Oxford
• Highly commended: CARE Could supported weight loss reduce bowel cancer