LSTM’s Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health’s Emergency (Essential) Obstetric Training has been declared the winner in the Women’s Health Category of the 2015 BMJ awards, which took place at a dinner in London last night.
The Women’s Health Team was one of 13 awards presented at the ceremony at the Park Plaza Hotel and was the only international project featured in the category. A small team from CMNH was invited to present their work to the panel of judges in March this year along with the other five teams shortlisted. Dr Mary McCauley and Dr Charles Ameh led the presentation and Mary along with Head of CMNH, Professor Nynke van den Broek and volunteer Lucie Baylis where at the ceremony to receive the award.
Professor van den Broek said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won such a prestigious award, especially given the quality of the other teams that were shortlisted. I have to thank Mary and the rest of the team for their dedication to the Making it Happen programme, which is designed to help save the lives of mothers and their babies in some of the world’s poorest communities. The panel of judges were particularly impressed by CMNH’s huge database of UK based doctors and midwives who go out to the countries we work in to teach the EOC course. They work with us as volunteers, and without their time and commitment we would not be able to deliver this life saving training”
The BMJ Awards have been running for seven years, and have seen a tremendous amount of talented and dedicated teams recognised for their hard work. Winners and finalists have come from across the spectrum of healthcare, and have included GP surgeries, nurse practitioners, paramedic teams, surgeons, speciality doctors and research teams. Many of those who have won, or who have been shortlisted for, an award have found they are able to take their projects further, gain wider interest and improve the health and lives of more patients.