Dr Davara Bennett, from the University’s Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems, 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.
The NIHR Impact Prizes celebrate researchers and teams whose work has made a meaningful difference to public health, economic growth, and global well-being. Dr Bennett, part of the Liverpool and Lancaster Universities Collaboration for Public Health Research, received one of five early-career researcher awards for her work on understanding inequalities among children entering care in England.
Hear her talk about her work here:
Dr Bennett said: “It’s an honour to be awarded one of the NIHR Impact Prizes. This is a fantastic opportunity to highlight our team’s efforts to galvanise action on the preventable causes of children being separated from their families. No one can achieve impact alone, and the prize is a testament to my teachers: academics, activists, practitioners, policy experts and care experienced people, who see injustice and roll up their sleeves.”
Also recognised at the ceremony was Nancy Chebichii, a researcher with the NIHR Global Health Research Unit – CLEAN-Air(Africa). Based at the Kenya Medical Research Institute’s Centre for Respiratory Disease Research in Nairobi, CLEAN-Air(Africa) is co-directed by the University of Liverpool.
Nancy was commended for her research empowering communities in sub-Saharan Africa to combat household air pollution, a major public health threat. Read more about Nancy’s work here.
Nancy said: “Growing up surrounded by the beauty of nature and the challenges of community health issues, I have always been passionate about public health. Driven by a deep desire to improve lives, I developed a profound interest in understanding the root causes of diseases and finding solutions to improve public health. I’m incredibly proud that my contribution was recognised at the awards.”
The winners of these awards were 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.
Find out more about the NIHR Impact Prizes.
Lead image, l-r: Lucy Chappell, Dr Davara Bennett, Waljit Dhillo, Dean of the NIHR Academy.