Each year the Institute of Physics & Engineering in Medicine makes three awards for practice excellence and for the first time staff from the same Department - the Regional Medical Physics Department that serves the hospitals in the north-east and Cumbria - have swept the board.
The Founders Prize, which is awarded for distinction in the practice of physics or engineering in relation to medicine, was won by Dr Michael Firbank (based at Newcastle General Hospital Unit) for his achievements in the development of infrared spectroscopy in understanding the optical properties of tissue, and more recently in applications of magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy to various clinical problems, especially the study and understanding of dementias.
The Manufacturers' Award, given for a significant contribution to the technology associated with medical physics or clinical engineering, went to Dr David Harrison (Head of the Durham Unit and based at the University Hospital of North Durham) for his development of a tissue oxygen saturation monitor for babies who have an increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
And finally, Richard Thomson (based at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle) won the Roy Ellis Award for a Clinical Technologist who has made a significant contribution to the field of medical technology for his report on the design, construction and use of a digital dexterity analyser, a device he developed for physiotherapists to enable them to measure hand strength in patients recovering from stroke.
Professor Brian Diffey
Clinical Director
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Regional Medical Physics Department, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE7 7DN, UK.
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Regional Medical Physics Department, a Clinical Directorate of the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
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