Dr Charlotte Small, a Specialty Trainee in Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine at University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB), is amongst the winners of a national prize for clinical research. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Awards, run in partnership with the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA), recognise the outstanding contributions of NHS consultants and trainee doctors who are actively involved in research.

Dr Small won the Trainee Award which requires applicants to outline their contribution to the leadership of several NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) Portfolio studies with particular weight being attached to:

• demonstration of clinical leadership, enabling their organisation to increase its participation in clinical studies
• how they engaged with patients to inform them of new opportunities to participate in clinical research
• individual contributions to successful delivery of clinical research studies

Dr Small’s submission included details of four research studies she has led on the feasibility of introducing interactive technology for patient use in anaesthesia and critical care. She also described how she set up the West Midlands Trainee Research in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Network (WMTRAIN) to support anaesthetic trainees with an interest in research.

She said: "I am delighted to have won this award and would like to thank the RCoA and CRN West Midlands for their support. I hope that, alongside other members of WMTRAIN, we can take this excellent opportunity to provide further support to anaesthetic and intensive care medicine trainees in the region wishing to undertake clinical research within their training programme."

Professor Stephen Smye, NIHR Clinical Research Network Specialty Cluster Lead, said: "The NIHR CRN really values its strong partnership with the College and the winners of the RCoA/NIHR CRN joint awards exemplify clinical research leadership at its finest; patient-centred, inclusive and with a wide and lasting impact."

As part of the application process the applicants had to set out how they would use the prize money to increase their contribution to NIHR Clinical Research Network Portfolio studies in the future.

Since its inception in 2006, the NIHR has significantly increased the scale of clinical research in the NHS, particularly through the NIHR Clinical Research Network. The enthusiastic engagement of NHS clinicians and trainees and trainee networks is essential for building on this success.