Annual Awards Ceremony 2024
This year, we were in London at the Royal College of Pathologists to welcome all new Fellows, Members and Diplomates to the Faculty and celebrate the achievements made across the Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) specialty. The day marked our 17th FSEM Annual Awards Ceremony, and began with our President, Dr Natasha Jones, addressing those in attendance.
Honorary Fellowships
The Faculty then had the privilege of awarding three Honorary Fellowships this year to Dr Roger Hawkes, Dr John Etherington CBE and Dr Justin Varney (left to right). The new Honorary Fellows were gowned by their citation readers, followed by conferment from our President to acknowledge the tremendous contributions they have made across the SEM specialty.
Dr John Etherington CBE
Dr John Etherington CBE, a past president of the Faculty, spent the majority of his medical career in the British Army, and was awarded an OBE in 2009 and a CBE in 2018. He has made outstanding contributions to military medicine, the development of Sport and Exercise Medicine and the progression of the Faculty as a whole. He was presented this award by his friend and colleague Professor Mark Batt, another past President of the Faculty.
Dr Roger Hawkes
Dr Roger Hawkes has been hugely influential at the Faculty, BASEM and with the impending new college reformation, and has done so much for the SEM specialty throughout the entirety of his career. Dr William Wynter Bee has been mentored and guided by Roger for a long time, as have many others within SEM, and was in attendance to gown him and present his award.
Dr Justin Varney
The third and final Honorary Fellowship was awarded to Dr Justin Varney. Justin has been a tremendous ally to the specialty and his contributions have left a longstanding legacy in SEM and physical activity sphere. He conceived and set up the Physical Activity Clinical Champions (PACC) programme in 2014, and has also been very active in tackling inequalities across multiple communities of identity and experience. Dr Dane Vishnubala was honoured to gown Justin, and present him with his award.
Other award winners
There are also congratulations in order to the following award winners:
Macleod Medal Winner
Presented by Dr John Rogers
The Macleod Medal is named after the late Professor Donald Macleod, recognising his enduring contribution to the field of SEM. The Macleod Medal is awarded to the candidate who has achieved the highest mark in both diets of the Membership Examination held in each calendar year. Congratulations to Dr Christian Wilson for winning the Macleod Medal.
Vitruvian Medal Winner
Presented by Dr Jumbo Jenner
The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries present the Vitruvian Medal, awarded to the candidate with the highest mark in the Diploma in MSK Medicine. Congratulations to Dr Kenneth Porter for winning this award.
Undergraduate Sport and Exercise Medicine Society Essay Competition 23/24 Winner
Presented by Professor Courtney Kipps
The Faculty, in association with the Undergraduate Sport and Exercise Medicine Society, hold an annual essay competition. This provides a terrific opportunity for aspiring SEM students to showcase their passion and knowledge in the subject area. Congratulations to Jack Doyle for his essay on the topic, which was – “the effects of doping in sport are more than physical”.
Finally, the Faculty would like to congratulate and welcome all new Fellows, Members and Diplomates. This is your opportunity to come together and contribute to our shared vision as a Faculty and specialty, and we are delighted that you are now a huge part of our growing, multidisciplinary organisation.
Event photos
All the photos from the event are available below.