School of Medicine celebrates 2025 Education Award winners

Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) gathered a range of guests to award staff making significant contributions to its undergraduate programmes.

The School celebrated 28 staff from across the MBBS Medicine and BSc Medical Biosciences programmes, including through two team awards celebrating staff working together to deliver education or programme support of a very high quality.

Awarded since 2001 – then called the NHS Teaching Excellence Awards – the Education Awards are a collaboration between ICSM and the ICSM Students’ Union (ICSMSU), with a nomination review panel including the ICSMSU President.

Implemented initially to recognise the critical input given by clinically-based staff, both the award’s outlook and nomination categories have expanded to include all staff in roles that support the education, student experience or wellbeing of ICSM students.

Categories this year were: Supporting the Student Experience, Teaching Excellence, Teaching Fellow Excellence, Excellence in Tutoring, and the Head of School Award, presented at the discretion of the Head of Imperial College School of Medicine, Professor Amir Sam, to an outstanding member of the ICSM community, normally for longer-standing service or repeated award wins over the years.

One new category was introduced this year: the Peer Award. This category allows and encourages staff to nominate other staff whose roles impact on the student experience, their colleagues or the School of Medicine more widely may not be student-facing or immediately visible to students.

This new category proved popular with the community, with a wide range of nominations made and three staff recognised as winners.

With awards presented by the ICSMSU President 2024-25, Lilia Evans, winners were also announced and introduced by incoming President, Sarah Azam.

The Awards programme and event also recognises Local Teaching Heroes: staff recommended by the School’s partner NHS Trusts to receive commendation from the School of Medicine for excelling in the delivery of the critical clinical education students receive at sites.

Updating on progress

The event was held in the newly developed Reynolds Building at the Charing Cross Campus, where staff, students and guests alo heard presentations from a range of staff giving updates and insight on current School of Medicine activities.

These included Professor Amir Sam discussing recent research success in the field of medical education; Professor Alison McGregor updating the community on the development and opportunities available with the School’s new MSci programme; and Dr Channa Jaysena giving an overview of the work and progress on the School’s equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) activities across the BMB and MBBS programmes.

Guests were also pleased to receive performances from a student string quartet from ICSMSU Music Society. Zach Cox, Aparna Chaganti, Sami Al Machhoor and Jason Pinto played for attendees as they enjoyed a reception after the event.

Recognising excellence

Dr James Jensen-Martin, Director of Quality and Student Experience and key sponsor of the awards programme, as well as the event’s MC, said:

“We are so grateful to all our amazing colleagues who, year-on-year, never fail to contribute so much to the School and to our students, and to deliver such high-quality results. There were many excellent nominations this year and the panel had difficulty deciding winners.

“It’s crucial that we recognise our incredible community for their efforts and let them know they are valued, especially as we are often so – necessarily – spread out to deliver the world-leading education and student experience we offer.

“We continue to look for ways to bring everyone together meaningfully to celebrate the wonderful work we do here at ICSM, and to showcase the people who make the School what it is. We are delighted to be able to offer recognition to this year’s winners, and we look forward to another fantastic year ahead.”

We are delighted to share this year’s winners, and offer them all our congratulations:

Excellence in Tutoring

Dr Allan Andi
Academic Tutor and Consultant Radiologist
Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Mark Sullivan
Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry
Institute of Reproductive & Developmental Biology,
Department of Metabolism, Digestion & Reproduction

Dr Rachel Lai
Lecturer
Department of Infectious Disease

Mrs Heather Hanna
Senior Clinical Teaching Fellow for PG Cert/Dip/MSc in Applied Paediatrics,
Clinical Education Fellow for UG MBBS Professional Values and Behaviours - Medical Ethics and Law Team
Department of Infectious Disease

Supporting the Student Experience

Ms Labbie Farrell
Programme Officer (MBBS Phase 1a and 1b Assessments)
Faculty Education Office

Ms Beatrix Rozsa
Undergraduate Education Administrator
School of Public Health

Team Award – BSc Medical Biosciences (BMB)
Year 3 Programme Team:

Ms Deanna Greenwood
Programme Officer (BSc Medical Biosciences)

Ms Lauren Hodge
Programme Administrator (BSc Medical Biosciences) 

Ms Rumi Khanom
Industry Liaison Officer (BSc Medical Biosciences)

Ms Ava Gorzeman
Programme Administrator, Assessments (BSc Medical Biosciences)

Teaching Excellence

Dr Kriisan Manoharasundaram
F1 Doctor
Charing Cross and St Mary’s Hospitals

Dr Moustafa Hafez
Clinical Skills Tutor
Hammersmith Hospital

Ms Dede Ofili-Yebovi
UG Site Lead, O&G, and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

Professor James Pease
Professor of Leukocyte Biology,  Module Lead, Principles of Medicine (MBBS Phase 1a)
National Heart and Lung Institute

Teaching Fellow Excellence

Dr Anna Ogier
Teaching Fellow in Lifestyle Medicine and Public Health
School of Public Health

Dr Anusha Kumar
Clinical Teaching Fellow in General Surgery and Critical Care
Hammersmith Hospital

Dr Junzheng Ray Wang
Teaching Fellow in Lifestyle Medicine and Public Health
School of Public Health

Dr Laura Canevari
Teaching Fellow
Department of Brain Sciences

Dr Paula Busuulwa
Clinical Teaching Fellow and O&G Registrar
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

Dr Sohag Saleh
Principal Teaching Fellow
Faculty of Medicine Centre

Dr Lydia Boynton
Senior Teaching Fellow (Anatomy and Diagnostics)
Faculty of Medicine Centre

Team Award – Chelsea & Westminster Hospital Undergraduate Clinical Teaching Fellows:
Dr Hamsa Aden, Dr Jasmine Chevolleau, Dr Lily Pollock
Chelsea & Westminster Hospital
               

Peer Award

Dr Kirsty Flower
Senior Teaching Fellow, Head of Academic Tutoring (BMB), and Deputy Director of Quality and Student Experience (BMB)
Faculty of Medicine Centre

Mr Jon Jaundrill
Senior AV Technician, Teaching Facilities Team
Faculty Education Office

Ms Sarah Fort
Programme Manager (BSc Medical Biosciences)
Faculty Education Office
 

Head of School Award

Dr Omid Halse
Phase Director (MBBS Phase 3 - Years 5 and 6) Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, and Consultant, Elderly Medicine & Stroke
Faculty of Medicine Centre and Charing Cross Hospital

Local Teaching Heroes

St Mary’s Hospital

Dr Benjamin Mullish
Dr Borja Mora-Peris
Dr Lara Coppel
Dr Saira Hameed
Dr Samer Dahdaleh
Professor Horace Williams
Professor Shahid Khan

West London NHS Trust

Dr Samuel Topp
Dr Nilufar Majid
Mr Nasir Saib
Dr Mahdi Ali

West Middlesex Hospital

Dr Andrew Greenhalgh
Dr Catherine Taube
Dr David Heriot
Dr Robert Perry
Dr Robert White
Dr Shamim Miah
Dr Taha Mahmood
Dr Xiying Ren
Dr Yann Newby

Charing Cross Hospital

Dr James O’Hanlon
Dr Kabir Singh
Dr Katie Fray
Dr Saif Rehman

Ealing Hospital

Dr Ben Rowland
Dr Gopija Nanthagopan
Dr Hariharan Subbiah Ponniah
Dr Malcolm Irem
Dr Neel Vyas
Dr Rama Jha
Dr Won Young Yoon

Hillingdon Hospital

Dr Aisha Ahmad
Dr Amy McCarthy
Dr Arif Jalal
Dr Ashita Ramtohul
Dr Ghavin Kuganesan
Dr Jenni Jaeaenthiran
Dr Mabel Prendergast
Dr Rajvi Patel
Dr Shahil Kaini
Dr Shirin Beebeejaun
Dr Taruna Aggarwal
Dr Zak Jefferson-Pillai
The Paediatrics Team, led by Dr Alex Chan