Medical School colleagues honoured at Golden Heart Awards

26 July 2023
golden hearts winners collage 2023 banner

On Friday 7 July, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust held its annual Golden Hearts Awards – in person for the first time since the Covid pandemic – at the Double Tree Hilton in Hull. 

The awards recognise colleagues from across the Trust who have gone above and beyond in their daily work, made advances in clinical care which benefit patients and colleagues, improved services, or demonstrated outstanding compassion, dedication or leadership. 

This year saw a number of Hull York Medical School colleagues nominated for awards, several of whom were announced as winners on the night. 

Special congratulations to the following Hull York winners: 

The TEM-PAC Study Team (main picture above): Winner, Excellence in Research, Development and Innovation. 
Led by Professor Anthony Maraveyas as Chief Investigator alongside Dr Leonid Nikitenko and Dr Camille Ettelaie as laboratory principal investigators, the TEM-PAC Study seeks to better understand and treat pancreatic cancer, one of the most rare and aggressive forms of cancer. The study has been supported by a generous donation from the late Dr Assem Allam, 168 participants have been recruited to date, and preliminary findings were presented to an American Society of Clinical Oncology symposium earlier this year. 

Congratulations to the following Medical School colleagues, who were also nominated in this category: 

View the nomination video for this category

Professor Sunil Bhandari (pictured top right): Winner, Lifetime Achievement Award. 
Professor Bhandari has been described as the ‘go-to’ clinician for renal medicine. In his 32 years of service, his contributions have significantly enhanced the Trust’s reputation as a centre of excellence for medicine and nephrology. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Professor Bhandari went above and beyond, contributing to local requirements, helping develop sustainable models of care, and serving on local and national advisory boards. He has committed his life’s work to improving services for the benefit of patients and staff.  

View the nomination video for this category

Dr Sebastian Spencer (pictured middle right): Winner, Rising Star Award. 
A graduate of Hull York Medical School, Dr Spencer is a dedicated and committed leader in medical education. Beginning as a Clinical Teaching Fellow, delivering teaching sessions to medical students, he impressed with his organisation, commitment, and natural aptitude for teaching, he was given the opportunity to lead the review of the clinical replacement recourse session. In addition to his educational role, Dr Spencer excels in clinical settings, displaying excellent skills, responsibility and professionalism. The impact of his achievements are not just within education but will filter through to patients when the students he has taught on placement graduate as doctors. 

View the nomination video for this category

The SENTINEL Project Team (pictured bottom right): Winner, Zero 30 Award. 
The SENTINEL project is a quality improvement programme working across both primary and secondary care in Hull and the East Riding. Its aims are to improve outcomes for patients living with asthma at the same time as reducing the environmental impact of asthma and its treatment. Since the SENTINEL project started in late 2020, 44,725 fewer SABA inhalers have been prescribed among participating primary care networks, saving the equivalent in carbon emissions to 1,550 transatlantic flights, and better management means patients are less likely to experience asthma attacks. 

View the nomination video for this category

Congratulations also to Honorary Hull York Medical School Professor Dumbor Ngaage, who was nominated for the Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award

Visit the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to read more about the Golden Hearts Awards