School of Public Health staff recognised in Imperial President's Awards

Staff from the MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling

Staff and research teams from the School of Public Health have been recognised in the 2018 Presidents Awards for Excellence.

Presidents Awards are presented to individuals or teams doing outstanding work in the fields of education, research or societal engagement.

MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling – President’s Medal for Outstanding Research Team

The President’s Medal for Outstanding Research Team celebrates the achievements of research teams at Imperial, recognising outstanding research that delivers impact, a team’s international standing and their beneficial contribution to Imperial.

The MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling, which is hosted within the School of Public Health’s Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, is an international resource and centre of excellence for research on the epidemiological analysis and modelling of infectious diseases. The Centre undertakes a wide range of research on emerging and endemic diseases and has a focus on ensuring modelling is translated into practical policy guidance for planning and responding to infectious disease threats.

The Centre was chosen as a recipient of a President’s Medal, the highest level of President’s Award, for undertaking world-class research that can make a demonstrable economic and social impact. The panel, chaired by Professor John Seddon, commented: “This globally renowned research team is a universal go-to resource, having developed methods that continue to be innovative and highly impactful both scientifically and societally.”

Professor Neil Ferguson, Professor of Mathematical Biology and Head of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, said: “It is an honour to receive this recognition from the College, and a testament to all of the staff and students who have contributed to the success of the centre over the years.”

The Centre has been funded by the MRC for 10 years and has recently received a new award that will see it become the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis.

Patient Experience Research Centre – President’s Achievement Award for Excellence in Societal Engagement

The President’s Award for Excellence in Societal Engagement recognises individuals and team who have taken the initiative to deliver high-quality engagement activities with the public, schools, community groups and/or patients.

The Patient Experience Research Centre (PERC) is a multidisciplinary group of clinicians, public health specialists and social scientists combining strengths in quantitative and qualitative research methods. They aim to promote active communications between patients, researchers and clinical staff to address real problems and improve the quality of healthcare and impact of translational research.

The selection panel commented: “Helen and her team are involved in an outstanding range of societal engagement activity, from innovative patient involvement programmes to fantastic resources, training and support for staff. Their collaborative approach has led to a shift in culture within the centre and beyond – an achievement the team should be very proud of.”

Professor Helen Ward, Director and Co-founder of PERC, said: “I’m delighted that our team has been recognised with this award. When we set up PERC several years ago, this kind of work received little support and it’s great to see that working with patients and the public is increasingly valued.”

PERC recently hosted a Patient and Public Involvement Café at the Imperial Festival to give the public a flavour of PPI by contributing to real-life research projects.

Dr Nathan Green – Highly Commended in Societal Engagement

Dr Nathan Green, a Research Fellow in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, was nominated for the President’s Award for Excellence in Societal Engagement and was highly commended by the panel.

In 2017 Nathan created Lol-Lab, a ‘science comedy’ event, which was developed jointly with members of the public. The aim was to connect researchers with members of the public through light-hearted, plain-speaking 10 minute talks at an informal stand-up comedy event. The public were involved in the preparation of the researchers’ comedy sketches about their work by attending workshops facilitated by an expert comedian.

The selection panel commented: “Nathan has excelled beyond the expectations of his role as a Research Fellow through his impressive portfolio of engagement. He has led numerous innovative and creative engagement activities, the high quality of which was evident.”