Medic receives top honour for research into diabetes

WORK to improve the lives of people with diabetes was part of a package of research which has led to a county medic receiving high level recognition.

Professor Melanie Davies, who heads up a team of doctors and boffins at the Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, becomes the only woman in the country to receive a Platinum Clinical Excellence Award.

The awards are bestowed by the Department of Health and Social Care and aim to honour NHS consultants, and academic GPs who play a significant role in delivering safe and high quality care to patients or in the improvement of public health.

Award winners are judged to be medical or dental staff who sustain and improve the NHS, performing above and beyond their expected role.

Selection for award winners is a very competitive process.

Professor Davies said: “I am delighted to receive this award along with such an eminent list of NHS consultants and researchers.

“This recognises the work of the whole of the diabetes research team in Leicester which continues to undertake clinical research of direct relevance to patients and the public and is further recognition of Leicester as a centre of excellence for diabetes.”

The biomedical centre is funded by the National Institute for Health Research.

Some of Professor Davies’ recent work includes research into preventing type 2 diabetes and new therapies for type 2 diabetes mellitus.