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From bowel cancer to Bollywood - the year's finest medical achievements

10 November 2006

From revolutionising the early detection and treatment of bowel cancer to teaching the South Asian community heart health, Bollywood-style – the last twelve months have seen Britons presenting groundbreaking research and pioneering healthcare projects.

This week the Bupa Foundation celebrated scientific innovation and breakthrough work when it held its annual awards at Lincoln’s Inn, London.

The Bupa Foundation is an independent charitable organisation that funds medical research and since 1979 it has awarded grants in excess of £19 million to medical research and healthcare initiatives across a broad range of disciplines from surgery to occupational health.

The Bupa Foundation Awards are made annually to recognise excellence in medical research and healthcare. There are six category winners.

Bupa Foundation Research Award

With bowel cancer killing 16,000 people every year, the Bupa Foundation Research Award has been handed to a team of doctors who have pioneered groundbreaking surgical techniques that allow for the very early detection of the disease. This not only dramatically improves survival rates but means patients can be diagnosed and treated in a single day. The award was presented to Dr Paul Hurlstone, a consultant endoscopist at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield.

Bupa Foundation Epidemiology Award

The Bupa Foundation Epidemiology Award went to a study that showed the introduction of pedestrianisation and traffic restrictions in Oxford has greatly improved the respiratory health of the city’s children. The award was presented to Stephanie MacNeill, a medical statistician at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London.

Bupa Foundation Communication Award

South Asians living in the UK are 50 percent more likely to die from a heart attack than people of European origin. This year the Bupa Foundation Communication Award has been awarded to the producer of an all-singing, all-dancing Bollywood-style comedy film that is successfully educating this high-risk community about the dangers of heart disease. The award was presented to Dr Rumeena Gujral, a trustee of the South Asian Health Foundation.

Bupa Foundation Care Award

The Bupa Foundation Care Award has this year been presented to a project that has managed to halve the number of falls of elderly patients in hospital. The award was presented to Dr Opinder Sahota, a consultant physician at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Bupa Foundation Clinical Excellence Award

The Bupa Foundation Clinical Excellence Award has been given to a pioneering clinic that has taken the lead in the fight against childhood obesity, a condition that affects one in five children. The award was presented to Dr Julian Hamilton-Shield on behalf of the Care of Childhood Obesity Clinic at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.

Bupa Foundation Health at Work Award.

The most comprehensive guidance ever published to tackle the alcohol and drug culture in the British workplace has won the Bupa Foundation Health at Work Award. 17 million working days are lost every year through alcohol-related sickness alone. This guide is a one-stop shop handling all issues relating to the misuse of drink and drugs. The award was presented to the Faculty of Occupational Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians.

The vice chairman of the Bupa Foundation, Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen, said: "The Bupa Foundation aims to support projects which will deliver long term benefits for patients and we are pleased to recognise so many NHS organisations, universities and charities in their work at the sharp end of medical research and healthcare."