Nominations open for BMJ awards 2011

Nominations open on 16 October for a total of 13 awards, building on the success of an awards scheme that has rapidly become established for its recognition of excellence in health care. Last year there were 780 entries, a huge increase on 2009, and the hope is to exceed that number this year.

The awards mix prizes for UK based doctors and teams with those that are open to international nomination: six are UK only and seven international, including the top prize, the BMJ Group award for lifetime achievement.

Fiona Godlee, editor in chief of the BMJ, said: “These awards are a great opportunity to celebrate excellence across the whole of health care. There are lots of unsung heroes in health care doing important work to improve life for patients and the public. I’m glad that the BMJ Group is able to give them the recognition they deserve.”

Judith Mackay, a lifetime campaigner against smoking, said that winning the first ever lifetime award in 2009 “meant more to me than any other award I have received.”

“I had the greatest respect for the other eminent shortlisted colleagues from a wide variety of disciplines, mostly in curative medicine,” she said. “But individuals, academics, organisations, and governments voted essentially for public health, disease prevention, global health, tobacco control, and the importance of health issues in low and middle income countries, the areas where I work.

“The award put public health to the fore, whereas too often it has been an undervalued and underfunded discipline of medicine,” she said.

Melba Gomes and her team from the World Health Organization won the research paper of the year award last year for a paper showing that children with severe malaria unable to take oral treatment could be saved by the use of artesunate suppositories. She said winning the award was a “great honour.” “It has helped increase awareness among disease endemic countries and donors alike of the importance and lifesaving potential of early treatment.”

For the second year, the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS) will be the headline sponsor of the awards. The BMJ Group is seeking nominations in 13 categories:

• Research paper of the year—Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, this award is for original research published after 1 January 2010, either in the United Kingdom or internationally, that makes an important addition to knowledge and helps doctors make better decisions about clinical practice, research methods, or health policy

• Getting evidence into practice—This award is for evidence based improvement in care, completed after 1 January 2009 in the UK, that uses innovative methods to show measurable improvements in health outcomes

• Primary care team of the year—Open to general practices in the UK, this award, which MDDUS is sponsoring, is for team projects or initiatives that have shown improvements in patients’ outcomes since 1 January 2009 and have used innovative methods

• Secondary care team of the year—Hospital and secondary care teams in the UK are eligible for this award, which is based on the same criteria of excellence as the primary care award

• Junior doctor of the year—A new award that is open to non-consultant, non-career grade doctors from the UK who have built up an exceptional portfolio of work or who have overcome exceptional challenges

• Excellence in healthcare education— sponsored by MSD and open to entrants from the UK and abroad, this award will reward publications, initiatives, or projects in the calendar year 2009 that had measurable effects on improving education in health care

• Best improvement in quality and safety —The Health Foundation sponsors this award. Judges will be looking for a UK based team or organisation that has implemented a change in care since 1 July 2008 that has made things better for patients, improved outcomes, and overcome barriers

• Clinical leadership—Sponsored by McKinsey & Company, the award will go to the individual in the UK who has done most since 1 January 2009 to achieve measurable improvements in the care of patients

• Health communicator of the year—This award, sponsored by Alliance Boots, is open to those, both in the UK and abroad, who have shown excellence in promoting understanding of medicine and health in the published or broadcasting media

• Innovation in health care— Celebrating an individual or organisation that has shown excellence in health care through the development of drugs, devices, or technology

• Medical team in a crisis zone—An award, sponsored by BUPA, for a medical team that has had an exceptional effect on a crisis situation in the UK or abroad

• Sustainable health care—Recognising a healthcare organisation that has shown outstanding and effective commitment to sustainable health care

• BMJ Group award for lifetime achievement—This award is for an individual who, through a working lifetime, has made a unique and substantial contribution to improving health care.

Nominations for awards can this year be made online, which should make the process easier. Nominations open on 16 October and close on 4 January 2011. Members of the BMJ editorial team and BMJ Group staff will act as champions for each of the awards and will organise panels of distinguished judges to make the decisions.

The awards ceremony will be held on 18 May 2011 at the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane, London. Tickets for the ceremony can also be bought online.