Remembering Karen Woo

In August 2010, British doctor Karen Woo was killed while delivering basic healthcare to some of the most needy people in rural Afghanistan. The team she was with had taken a week to trek to the remote province of Nuristan, in the Hindu Kush, where they had treated over 1500 people for ophthalmic, dental, and general medical problems. Woo and the entire team were killed when their vehicle was ambushed on their journey home.

This year, for the first time, a new BMJ Group Improving Health Awards seeks to recognise individuals who, like Woo, have shown a passion that goes well beyond the normal obligations of the medical profession and delivered quality care in a challenging environment, sometimes at great personal cost. The four candidates shortlisted for the award, sponsored by Bupa, for which Karen Woo had worked in the past, are all individuals whose dedication has made a remarkable difference to communities where they have worked. The judges, including …