Four clinical research professionals have been recognised for outstanding work in their areas of practice at the inaugural All Wales Outstanding Achievement Awards, sponsored by ICR
The awards featured three categories with each receiving £1000 in prize money.
The winner of the nurses/midwives/specialist community public health nurses category was Lesley Lowes, a paediatric diabetes specialist nurse at the University Hospital of Wales and a research fellow at the School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies at the Wales College of Medicine for her work in the development of services for children.
In the allied health professionals category, the award was jointly awarded to Sasha Bemrose, a specialist speech and language therapist from Sure Start Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Lynn Lynch, a consultant midwife at North Glamorgan NHS Trust for their 'Your Bump and Beyond' information pack.
The healthcare scientists award went to Noel Craine, a research scientist from NPHS Microbiology Bangor, for research examining the interaction between blood borne viral transmission and injecting drug use.
The awards were sponsored by the ICR and were presented by its chief executive John Hooper and the first minister for Wales, Rhodri Morgan, who commented: "I am delighted to welcome John Hooper, the chief executive of the Institute of Clinical Research, sponsors of the All Wales Outstanding Achievement Awards.
"The Institute of Clinical Research and the Welsh Assembly government are proud to acknowledge excellence in all areas of healthcare and reward the efforts of individuals to enhance patient care and promote health outcomes through evidence based research and practice".
Hooper commented: "ICR is delighted to be involved in the All Wales Outstanding Achievement Awards.
"We're committed to supporting the clinical research community and its workforce and these areas of practice were brilliantly represented by all the nominations".
The panel of judges evaluated a profile of each nominations' outstanding achievement and area of practice.
On the awards panel of clinical research professionals was Joyce Kenkre (University of Glamorgan, and senior research officer in the public health and health professions department of the Welsh Assembly).
Prof Kenkre commented: "The nominations that we received for these awards were of an exceptionally high standard within each of the selection categories.
"Consequently the award panel had an incredibly difficult time in deciding which of the nominations should be short listed and the final winners of the awards.
"I am confident we're able to build on this success to ensure quality in the development of evidence based practice and policy in Wales"
