Propose names for our awards

The impact of history in pharmacology has led to most of our current awards being named after caucasian men. The names of our awards should reflect the diversity of the British Pharmacological Society's membership and the fields of pharmacology and therapeutics as a whole. To help address this imbalance, we are inviting our members, the wider scientific community, and the public to submit the names of people or places that we could name awards after.

What is the Society looking for in names for our prizes?

The name could be of a person or a place. If a person, we would like to recognise the contributions of late pharmacologists, so they must be deceased. The name must share qualities with at least one the themes of our awards below. Most importantly, the name must have a strong connection to pharmacology.

  • Commitment to pharmacology education
  • Engaging patients and/or the public in pharmacology
  • Leadership in drug discovery and development
  • Outstanding published pharmacological research
  • Supporting the training of undergraduates and early career researchers
  • Other outstanding achievements and leadership in pharmacology

How to send suggestions to the Society

Please complete our online form. You will be asked to explain, in 100 words, the relevant contribution to pharmacology, and how this aligns with at least one of the themes of our awards.

Please refer to the notes section below for details of names currently used across BPS awards.

How will the Society select a new name for a prize?

When we are ready to name a prize, the Awards Panel will review suggestions proposed for the relevant theme and score them based on the following criteria:

  • Aligns with the criteria for the award
  • Signifies significant contribution to pharmacology

The Panel will also consider any mitigating factors when judging a person’s contribution to pharmacology e.g. career pathway, career breaks or other factors that may have limited one’s contribution. 

Following the review process, the panel’s recommendation will be submitted to the Society’s Council for ratification. It may be appropriate to consult family members before taking a name forward.

Notes

The Society will include what a prize is awarded for in its title e.g. “Rang Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching”.

If sponsorship is secured for a prize, the sponsor will be added to the end of a prize name rather than the prize being named after the sponsor e.g. “BPS Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Prize, sponsored by AstraZeneca”.

Names currently used across our awards:

  • Black, Sir James
  • Bowman, Bill
  • Bülbring, Edith
  • Dollery, Sir Colin
  • Dunlop, Sir Derrick
  • Gaddum, Sir John
  • Grahame-Smith, David
  • Paton, Sir William
  • Pickford, Mary
  • Rang, Humphrey
  • Schachter, Melville
  • Spina, Dom
  • Vane, Sir John
  • Vogt, Martha
  • Zaimis, Eleanor

Published: 24 Nov 2022 in Society news



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