Three Salford Royal clinician scientists have received national Clinical Excellence Awards.
Professors Ariane Herrick, Paul Dark and Richard Warren were recognised for their performance ‘over and above’ the standard expected of their role. To be considered for an award, applicants must be able to demonstrate clinical excellence and achievements in the areas of developing and delivering high quality services, leadership, research, innovation and teaching and training.
An independent advisory body, the ACCEA, operates this highly competitive awards scheme and advises the Department of Health and Social Care on the granting of new awards.
Only 300 awards are available every year covering bronze, silver, gold and platinum levels and all medical specialties.
Professor Herrick received a silver award. She has made outstanding contributions in rheumatology, including the establishment of a scleroderma centre of excellence, which is the UK’s second largest. She is the President of the Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium and has been Chief Investigator on many (including international) studies. She is also Vice President of Scleroderma and Raynaud’s UK.
Professor Dark, consultant in intensive care medicine, received a bronze award. He leads a research programme developing novel technologies aimed at rapid point-of-care infection/sepsis diagnosis. In addition to NHS and NIHR research leadership roles regionally and nationally, he holds senior academic leadership positions in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health focused on developing postgraduate learning in research and innovation in acute healthcare.
Consultant dermatologist Professor Warren is the Chief Investigator on the largest psoriasis study currently running in the UK, investigating a new biological therapy for the treatment of severe psoriasis. He is the principal investigator at Salford Royal for BADBIR, a large scale pharamcovigilance study and co-established a clinic for patients with severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis which is used as a national exemplar.
All three are University of Manchester academics who also have key leadership roles at the Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, where a further four experts – Professors Kimme Hyrich, Jorgen Vestbo, Corinne Faivre-Finn and William Newman – have also been recognised in the Clinical Excellence Awards for 2018.
Professor Ian Bruce, Director of Manchester BRC, said: “The ACCEA recognises and rewards those clinicians who perform at the highest level, with national and international impact. Research leadership and how research contributes to improving patient care is considered in the review of applications. These awards endorse the quality of work being undertaken in the Manchester BRC. They are richly deserved and I extend my congratulations to these colleagues.”
Cancer specialist Professor Noel Clarke, who sees patients both at Salford Royal and the Christie, has also had his platinum Clinical Excellence Award renewed.