BMA research grant award winners Doctors Karl Staples and Tom Wilkinson
At an awards ceremony held at BMA House in London on 12 November, Dr Staples and Dr Wilkinson were presented with the BMA HC Roscoe award for their research into respiratory viral infections.
This £50,000 award will be used to study the role of cytotoxic CD4+ T cells in influenza infection.
Guests were invited to a black-tie dinner, prize giving ceremony and a keynote speech from former MP Michael Portillo. Professor Stephen Holgate, a previous recipient of the HC Roscoe award, gave a presentation on the impact of the award on his distinguished career. This was an excellent night to celebrate the success of the grants winners,and the BMA's continuous support for medical research of the highest quality.
The BMA has a long history of supporting medical research and academic medicine and was among the first of the professional bodies to award grants and prizes to encourage and further medical research. Each year, approximately 10 research grants totalling over £500,000 are awarded under the auspices of the Board of Science, all funded by past bequests to the BMA.
The grants fund basic and clinical medical research, covering a diverse range of research topics, from heart disease to neurological disorders to cancer. The grants are awarded to clinical academic doctors and research scientists, and aim to support grant winners in their research aims and careers.