Health / Doctor’s ‘outstanding contribution’ recognised with national award
AN NHS Shetland doctor has been presented with a “prestigious” national prize.
Dr Kirsty Brown, a clinical development fellow with the health board, has been awarded the William Cullen Prize by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
NHS Shetland chair Gary Robinson said the award was given to Dr Brown in recognition of her “outstanding contribution to medical education and service innovation in rural health care”.
“Dr Brown’s award reflects her exceptional commitment to multidisciplinary education, simulation based learning and the development of rural medical training,” he said.
Dr Brown is said to have been instrumental in supporting NHS Shetland’s medical student teaching programme and is a key driver of the ‘Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) In Situ Simulation’ programme at the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick.
NHS Shetland said this initiative has played a “vital role in strengthening team-based learning, improving emergency preparedness, and enhancing interprofessional collaboration across the hospital”.
Speaking outside the meeting, Dr Brown – who has been in Shetland for 18 months – said she “never imagined that I would be nominated for the Cullen Prize, let alone be awarded it”.
She said the award reflects the “collective efforts” of those who have contributed to medical education in NHS Shetland.
Dr Pauline Wilson, director of medical education at NHS Shetland, also won the prize ten years ago.
She said her team is “immensely proud” of Dr Brown and said her “leadership, compassion and dedication to medical student and trainee wellbeing exemplify excellence in rural medicine”.
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh president Andy Elder joined an NHS Shetland board meeting on Tuesday morning to offer his congratulations.
He said the prize rewards “excellence, enthusiasm, endeavour and commitment”.
“I’ve read your citation and you fit the bit exactly for this prize and we were all deeply impressed by all that you have done,” Elder told Dr Brown.
The president attended the virtual meeting remotely and said there was a “nice connection” to William Cullen, who the award is named after.
He said Cullen was an “outstanding physician of the 1700s, and believe it or not he pioneered the practice of telemedicine, or medicine at a distance – but he did it all by letter”.
Elder said the physical prize given to Dr Brown included a reproduction of a letter written to Cullen by someone called William Bruce.
Bruce mentioned in the letter that he became unwell in Shetland, although it is unclear if he was a visitor or a resident.
But Elder said NHS Shetland is “well familiar” with managing the healthcare of tourists, and with working remotely.
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