Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) hosted its inaugural Research and Member Awards ceremony last night (April 4).
The Awards, held at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham, as part of CCLG’s annual Winter Meeting, celebrated the outstanding contribution of members and researchers to the work of CCLG and children with cancer.
A total of eight Member Awards and five Research Awards were presented, introduced this year to acknowledge and reward teams and individuals for best practice excellence and cutting-edge research.
Nominated by their fellow CCLG members, Member Award winners were chosen based on key criteria. These included measuring the impact and tangible benefits of their work, and whether they have demonstrated CCLG values, such as professionalism, compassion and commitment, as well as criteria specific to the individual award itself.
A wide breadth of categories included the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’, which recognises those who have played a significant part within the paediatric oncology community for over 30 years, and the ‘Johann Visser Award for Outstanding Contribution’, for those who have gone above and beyond to support the work and services of CCLG and its members.
The former was awarded to Professor Kathy Pritchard-Jones, President of SIOP and the keynote speaker at this year’s meeting, while Professor Andrew Peet and Dr Jessica Bate received the latter prize.
Meanwhile, the Research Awards showcased some of the world-class, pioneering projects supported by CCLG which are helping to break through boundaries and drive forward change in the treatment and care of young cancer patients.
Importantly, the categories included the ‘Early-Career Investigator Award’ for upcoming talent within childhood cancer research in scientific or clinical areas. The Award, won by Dr Timothy Ritzmann, highlights CCLG’s commitment to developing the next generation of researchers.
Speaking on the Awards, Ashley Ball-Gamble, CCLG Chief Executive, said:
“It’s so important to recognise the tireless work, unwavering dedication and relentless drive of the individuals and teams working to improve the lives of children with cancer.
“Our members continue to achieve great things that have a profound impact on the lives of children and their families affected by childhood cancer, and we can’t thank them enough.
“We were delighted to be able to celebrate their incredible work at our inaugural awards ceremony.
“Our Research Awards illustrate CCLG’s dedication to supporting original studies and scientific excellence.
“Research has always been such an integral part of CCLG, its vision and its identity, and our role in this area is something which we are incredibly proud of.
“It’s been fantastic to shine a light on the pivotal, pioneering work being done to change the future for children with cancer and, importantly, hear more on the potential impact of these projects and where they may take us.”
He added: “It was a fantastic evening and one which I am proud and honoured to have been a part of.
“The sheer volume of high-quality nominations and submissions speaks volumes about just how much outstanding work is going, from both clinical and research perspectives, and these awards represent all that is great and good about CCLG.
“They are testament to the teamwork and collaboration, innovation and ingenuity, and care and compassion that those recognised tonight – as well as many others – exemplify each and every day, making a difference to the lives of so many young people, both now and in the future.
“There’s still so much more to be done, but together, we are changing child cancer.”
Membership Award winners
- Lifetime Achievement – Professor Kathy Pritchard-Jones
- Johann Visser Award for Outstanding Contribution – Professor Andrew Peet and Dr Jessica Bate
- Excellence in Delivery – Telephone Triage Toolkit Working-Party (22 in Team at some point between 2012-2021) Barbara Doyle, Bernie McShane, Carol Chenery, Danielle Jones, Eleanor Baker, Eloise Newmann, Helen Morris, Jenny Palmer, Jodie (nee Betts) Johnson, Julie White, Leigh Carter-Shaw, Linda Sanderson, Louise Ollett, Margaret Parr, Mary Foo-Caballero, Ruth Whitlock, Michelle Bannister, Rachel Hollis, Tasmin Aston, Tracey DeMott, Wendy King, Andrea Thomas
- Innovation in Practice – Newcastle Cancer Centre Pharmacology Group (Gareth Veal, Shelby Barnett, Laura Francis, Julie Errington)
- Inspirational Member – Professor Barry Pizer
- Outstanding leadership – Dr Rachael Hough
- Rising Star – Liam Herbert
- Team of the Year - Leeds Macmillan Team (David Thomas, Neil Shaw, Jo Wood, Sally Morrison, Ella Wright, Gabi Reynolds, Charlotte Mackrell)
Research Award winners
- Early Career Investigator – Dr Timothy Ritzmann – ‘Tumour associated myeloid cells drive the immunobiology of high risk paediatric ependymoma’
- Innovation and Change – Dr Lorna Fern – ‘Patient Reported Outcomes and Times to Cancer Diagnosis in Teenagers and Young Adults: Cross Sectional analysis of the BRIGHTLIGHT cohort’
- Outstanding Cross-Disciplinary – Dr Christine Dahl – ‘Introduction of a multidisciplinary neuro- oncology long-term follow-up clinic’
- Transforming Care – Joanna Stone et al. – ‘Back on track pilot project to scope the follow-up needs of neuro-oncology survivors aged 1-24’
- Experimental and Translational Science – Dr Anthony Ford – ‘Covert pre-leukaemic clones in healthy co-twins of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
- Best Poster:
- Omar Mohammed - 'The Molecular Landscape of Medulloblastoma in Teenage and Young Adults.'
- Jessica Hayes - 'Cost analysis of increased use of PEG-GCSF primary prophylaxis during the covid-19 pandemic.'
- Abu Sidhanee - ' The one year experience of a national children's and young person's cancer training programme for physiotherapists and occupational therapist across the UK.'
*Research Award winners did not need to be CCLG members, but their work must have been funded by a CCLG research grant (including The Little Princess Trust-funded research grants or other partner charities in the CCLG research network) and/or have a listed co-author who is a current CCLG member.