Dr Davara Bennett from SPHR member LiLaC has been awarded one of the first ever NIHR Impact Prizes. These awards recognise major improvements in health over the last two decades, driven by research and scientific advances.
These have been awarded to researchers and teams who have had a major impact on the health and wealth of the nation, and globally. They celebrate researchers who have maximised the impact of their research by improving people’s lives or promoting economic growth.
Now, the first winners of these awards have been announced at a ceremony in Birmingham by Professor Lucy Chappell, the Chief Scientific Advisor at the Department of Health and Social Care and Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR.
In total, NIHR received 136 entries. Of the 10 winners, 5 awards went to research teams and 5 to early-career researchers.
Dr Davara Bennett from the Liverpool and Lancaster Universities Collaboration for Public Health Research was awarded one of the 5 early-career researcher awards for research to improve understanding of inequalities in children entering care in England.
Dr Davara Bennett said:
“It’s an absolute honour to be in this room with these people – I’m humbled and proud.
I have a little imposter syndrome, but that’s counterbalanced by the fact that the people who’ve been with me in this research are themselves so amazing, so I can stand tall thinking of them.
We are getting the message out there and one of the wonderful things about the NIHR is that it’s recognising and rewarding that.”
This research identified obstacles to tackling the socioeconomic drivers of care entry at a local level, proposed strategies for overcoming them and the nominee formed a Children’s Development Network for Children at Risk. This study received NIHR funding and support from the NIHR School for Public Health Research, NIHR Research Professorship, NIHR Public Health Policy Research Unit. Co-authors on project outputs were funded by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast. Read more about Davara’s research.
The judging panel commented:
“A very productive PhD project resulting in good, emerging impact on national and local policy.”
All winners demonstrate an incredible dedication to maximising the impact of their research, and illustrate how NIHR research saves lives and improves the quality of life of the public.
Find out more about the NIHR Impact Prizes.
Notes to Editors
For more information, please contact the NIHR Press Office on 07881 444 244 or pressoffice@nihr.ac.uk
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:
Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;
- Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;
- Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;
- Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;
- Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;
- Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries.
The NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK Aid from the UK Government.
