Somerville’s Fulford Junior Research Fellow and Oxford University’s Mildred Blaxter Fellow in Health Behaviours, Dr Charlotte Albury, has been awarded the Society for Academic Primary Care’s Principal Investigator or Principal Medical Educator of the Year prize.
The award is the most significant national honour in the field and honours a PI or PME who provides ‘exceptional support, leadership and encouragement for their team through the highs and lows of research/education, careers, and life.’ It is assessed and granted by the SAPC Early Careers Working Group, following nominations from students and staff. The prize both hopes to highlight great practice to inspire all Principal Investigators and Medical Educators, and to thank the winner for going many extra miles for their team. We couldn’t possibly imagine a better description of Dr Albury, and we are thrilled to celebrate her achievement.
“I’m disabled and didn’t see many other disabled researchers succeeding when I first entered academia. I experienced systemic barriers, which often led me to question if it was even the right career for me,” said Dr Albury.
“I am delighted to have been awarded the principal investigator of the year prize, and to lead a collaborative, supportive team of talented researchers, who nominated me for this award. I hope that this prize helps other researchers to see it is possible to succeed with disabilities in academia, and challenges some preconceptions “
Dr Albury’s work involves studying the importance of how you communicate in healthcare, rather than solely what treatments are used. She analyses real clinical conversations to find out exactly how things like wording, pace, intonation, grammatical design and sequential placement can support positive changes to health behaviours. Her expertise took her to the heart of government during the pandemic, working with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office to brief their Chief Medical Officer and study ways to communicate the covid risks associated with international travel. She also collaborates regularly with The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, advising on national guidelines and policy.
Dr Charlotte Albury