Awards and Recognition

Awards and honours given by the Faculty

The Faculty is delighted to recognise the achievements and contributions of practitioners in Pain Medicine.

Fellowship by Election

The award of our Fellowship by Election is the highest accolade possible. It is considered for practitioners across the world who have made sustained and significant contributions to the practice of Pain Medicine. This may be either to the UK or their own country’s health services. This activity has to be at an internationally active level and normally sustained for at least ten years. Evidence through the presented CV should document this activity and the outcome of such work. Whilst there are no limits to the number of awards at this level it is unusual to award more than two or three a year. Awardees listed below.

Name  Presentation year
Professor Sam Ahmedzai December 2016
Professor Roger Knaggs  December 2016
Professor Blair Smith December 2016
Dr Suellen Walker December 2016
Professor Sir Michael Bond November 2013
Maria Fitzgerald November 2013
Dame Carol Black November 2011
John Etherington November 2011

 

Commendations

Commendations are awarded to individuals recognised by the Board as having made a notable contribution in one or more areas of Faculty work.  Awardees listed below.

Name  Presentation year
Sanjeeva Gupta November 2023
Jon McGhie November 2023
Douglas Natusch November 2023
Anna Weiss November 2022
James Taylor November 2022
Robert Searle November 2022
Helen Makins November 2022
Mark Rockett December 2016
Michael O'Connor December 2016
Karen Simpson November 2015
Anna Weiss November 2015
Beverly Collett OBE November 2015
The Gold Medal

This is our highest award to a Fellow of this Faculty in recognition of sustained work for the Faculty at the highest levels. Examples would include work over decades to support Pain Medicine at a national or international level. This does not include activity delivered as a senior officer of the Faculty or where such activity has been commissioned or rewarded in other ways. This medal is rarely awarded. Medallists listed below.

Name Presentation year
Douglas Justins November 2011
Amanda C de C Williams December 2017
Beverly Collett OBE December 2017
John Hughes November 2023
The Patrick Wall Lecture

This eponymous lecture is the highest lectureship awarded by the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and they are delivered at appropriate national meetings. They are awarded to established senior clinicians, academic experts or pioneers in their fields who have advanced the science or art of Pain Medicine practice. Academic nominees would normally be senior post holders at professorial or readership level. The nominations process is the same as for those directly considered by the Nominations Committee but in this case the Nominations Committee acts in a governance role. Lectureship holders listed below.

Name  Presentation year
Anthony Dickenson 2005
Irene Tracey 2008
Henry McQuay 2010
Maria Fitzgerald 2011
Steve McMahon 2012
Martin Koltzenburg 2013
Sue Fleetwood-Walker 2014
Andrew Rice 2015
David Bennett 2016
Allan Basbaum 2017
Andrew Moore 2019
Christopher Eccleston 2021
Sam Eldabe 2022
Past Dean's Medal

Awarded to each retiring Dean at the end of their term. Medallists listed below.

Name Term of office
John Hughes 2019-2022
Barry Miller 2016-2019
Kate Grady 2013-2016
David Rowbotham 2010-2013
Douglas Justins 2007-2010
Past Vice-Dean's Medal

Awarded to retiring Vice-Deans. Medallists listed below.

Name Term of office
Lorraine de Gray 2019-2022
John Hughes 2016-2019
Mark Taylor 2012-2015
Kate Grady 2010-2012
David Rowbotham 2009-2010
Karen Simpson 2007-2009

FFPMRCA Examination Prize

The Faculty of Pain Medicine award a prize to the highest scorer of the FFPMRCA Examination each year.  

Congratulations to the following FFPMRCA Examination Prize Winners:

Name Academic Year  Presentation Year
Dr Rajiv Kumar Malhotra & Dr Alan Fayaz 2014/2015 May 2016
Dr James Francis Wilson 2012/2013 May 2014

 

Process of nomination

The criteria against which the various honours, awards and prizes awarded by the Board of the Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM) have developed over time. Any Fellow can suggest nominations to be formally considered by the Board through the RCoA Nominations Committee. This Committee is the most senior Committee of the Council of RCoA, chaired by the Senior Vice-President, and including the President and other Vice-President, the Dean of the Faculty, Senior Councillors and the Chief Executive. The Committee normally meets twice yearly although electronic communications are used if significant honours are being considered for specific events.

The Secretary to the Nominations Committee co-ordinates this process and is the primary point of contact for proposed nominations. The decision of the Nominations Committee is ratified by Council without appeal. The process meets all the requirements related to discrimination legislation.

 

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