We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the inaugural Global Women in Healthcare Awards, which EMMS International is holding in partnership with the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The winners will be announced at the Elsie Inglis Charity Ball, which will be held on Saturday 9th March 2024, marking International Women’s Day and celebrating the global impact of women working in healthcare.
The shortlist
The Dr Elsie Inglis Award, sponsored by Edinburgh College
Championing sex equality in the medical profession.
Donna Brough
Shortlisted for inspiring midwives across Scotland to consider the whole family when a baby is born and to accommodate them so that new mums have the support they need.
Donna Brough is Senior Midwife with NHS Scotland, Lead Midwife at NHS Tayside. As Midwifery Team Manager, she spearheaded the creation of one of Scotland’s first fully family-inclusive maternity wards.
Dr Gwenetta Curry
Shortlisted for her work to recognise the value of large-scale data while studying the causes of obesity in African American women for her PhD at Texas A&M University.
Dr. Curry is Reader in the Usher Institute at the University of Edinburgh. Her research interests are Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, Critical Race Theory, and Black Family Studies. Her present research analyses racial disparities in treatment and infection rates of Covid-19.
Dr Amina Khan
Shortlisted for her pioneering breast conserving surgeries in Pakistan.
Dr. Khan is Surgical Oncologist at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Lahore, Pakistan.
Dr Punam Krishan
Shortlisted for her work to raise awareness about the lack of dedicated research for women’s health and for giving these issues a public voice.
Dr Krishan is an NHS GP with a specialist interest in public health, family and lifestyle medicine. She is also a medical educator, teaching at the University of Glasgow. Alongside this, Punam is a writer and TV presenter.
Dr Kate Womersley
Shortlisted for her work to drive the adoption of a new minimum standard for inclusion of sex and gender in science, changing the face of medical and social research in the UK.
A doctor in Psychiatry, Dr. Womersley writes about medicine, gender and women’s health. Her research aims to improve sex and gender equity in biomedical research, funded by the Wellcome Trust.
The Rising Star Award, sponsored by Johnston Mailing Demonstrating great potential and dedication to a career in healthcare.
Rachel Abeysekera
Shortlisted for her work serving vulnerable groups, inspiring future women in healthcare to address the unique needs of underserved communities.
Rachel Abeysekera is a FY1 Doctor at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy. Starting as a Pharmacist in Australia, she moved to Cyprus to study Medicine with St George’s University of London, before commencing her foundation training in Edinburgh. She undertook an elective in Tanzania to care for women and babies in a regional maternity hospital.
Dr Budur Almutairi
Shortlisted for her work supporting the dental health of children in Saudi Arabia, 97% of whom are suffering from high dental decay.
Dr Almutairi is a Dentist in Saudi Arabia, leading a community oral health programme in schools, and a PhD researcher at University of Glasgow.
Dr Maneh Gizhlaryan
Shortlisted for her work in paediatric haematology and stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in Armenia, benefiting current patients and inspiring other young women to enter medicine, science and academia.
Dr. Gizhlaryan is a Paediatric Haemato-Oncologist at the Paediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Centre of Armenia, Yeolyan Haematology and Oncology Centre.
Dr Lung-Yi Mak
Shortlisted for her clinical service and research, benefiting patients with chronic liver diseases and viral hepatitis, and for being a role model for women in healthcare to pursue their dreams while maintaining great interpersonal relationships and work-life balance.
A specialist in Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Dr. Lung-Yi Mak is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor under the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong; Honorary Associate Consultant in The Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong; Fellow of the Hong Kong College of Physicians and The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine; Honorary Research Fellow of The Centre for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London; and Honorary Clinical Fellow in Department of Hepatology, Royal London Hospital, Barts NHS Trust, London.
Maggie Njala
Shortlisted for her resilience and dedicated work with Malawians with HIV/AIDS, both at the hospital and in rural villages, where she sometimes faces considerable hostility.
Maggie Njala is an HIV healthcare/extension worker in a small government hospital (Chiratsulu) in the south of Malawi.
Dr Liana Romaniuk
Shortlisted for her efforts in caring for children and young people with mental illness. She is a driving force in expanding the knowledge and understanding of how these disorders develop and can be characterised, generating the prospect of tailored treatments.
Dr. Romaniuk is Consultant in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Melville Unit, Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, and Edinburgh Senior Clinical Lecturer in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh.
The Outstanding Leader Award, sponsored by Hilary Barnes Graphic Design
Supporting other women in their healthcare careers.
Professor Dame Elizabeth N Anionwu
Shortlisted for her work in the development of nurse-led sickle cell and thalassaemia counselling services, education and leadership in transcultural nursing.
Dame Anionwu was the United Kingdom’s first sickle-cell and thalassaemia nurse specialist. She was honoured with the Order of Merit in 2022 and a Damehood (DBE) in the 2017 Queen’s New Year’s Honours List. The Queen’s Nursing Institute awarded her a Fellowship (FQNI) in October 2017. In 2001 she was awarded a CBE for services to nursing. In 2004 she was presented with the Royal College of Nursing Fellowship (FRCN) for her work.
Michelle Guthrie
Shortlisted for her work chairing the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Network and her team’s significant contribution to translating evidence into practice for their Black and Minority Ethnic Perinatal Mental Health Research.
Michelle Guthrie is Health Improvement Senior with the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Mental Health Improvement and Equalities Team.
Dr Vandana Kanth
Shortlisted for her work to sponsor and mentor vulnerable young women, who are at risk of early marriage, into college, through their studies and into their first jobs in a hospital.
Dr Kanth is EHA Project Leader at Duncan Hospital in Bihar, India, working as a doctor and Assistant Professor of Public Health.
Dr Mumtaz Patel
Shortlisted for her work in undergraduate and postgraduate medical training to support physicians to fulfil their full potential, promoting leadership and the delivery of patient-centered care.
Dr Patel is Consultant Nephrologist at Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Postgraduate Associate Dean at Health Education England North-West; Director of Conduct and Progress at the School of Medicine, University of Liverpool; and Vice President, Education and Training, at Royal College of Physicians.
Professor Leo Yee-Sin
Shortlisted for her contribution to improved infection control methods, relevant public health policies, as well as diagnostic and treatment methods that benefit patients locally and worldwide.
Professor Leo Yee-Sin was Executive Director of Singapore’s National Centre for Infectious Diseases from 2017 to 2023. She is a member of multiple World Health Organization workgroups, Senior Consultant at the Director-General Health’s Office in Ministry of Health, Singapore and Senior Advisor at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases and the National Healthcare Group.
The Health Tech Award, sponsored by The Mackay Clinic Championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education.
Tania Boler
Shortlisted for the development of health and lifestyle products to tackle intimate, often neglected issues affecting the health and wellbeing of women across the globe.
Tania Boler is Founder and President of Elvie, developing smarter health tech for women.
Charlotte Casebourne Stock and Margaret Duffy
Shortlisted for their work in the oncolytic viral therapy field to benefit cancer patients.
Charlotte Casebourne Stock is Co-Founder and CEO, and Margaret Duffy is Co-Founder and CSO at Theolytics, a pre-clinical stage biotechnology company developing next-generation oncolytic viral therapies.
Dr Maria Karvela
Shortlisted for her work to develop a digital genetic testing service that provides users with tailored food and health recommendations based on their DNA.
Dr Karvela is CSO & Co-Founder at DnaNudge, the developer of the world’s first service to use consumers’ own DNA plus lifestyle factors to nudge people towards healthier choices while shopping.
Melissa Morris
Shortlisted for using technology to break down the barriers between practice managers, who need to fill vacant sessions, and GPs, looking for a more flexible way of working, benefiting patients and the quality of care they receive.
Melissa Morris is CEO of Lantum and Fellow at NHS Innovation Accelerator. Lantum is a workforce management platform, the pioneer of Connected Scheduling™, uniting healthcare providers and the workforce to deliver the best care together.
Dr Elena Mucci
Shortlisted for embracing social media platforms to inspire mothers who aspire to become healthcare professionals, organising many clinical placements under her supervision.
Dr Mucci is a Consultant Geriatrician for the NHS at Conquest Hospital, Hastings, using Instagram to create an educational platform to inspire women medics to pursue careers in Geriatrics.