Excellence Awards

As an organisation committed to teaching and learning, the Medical School wishes to identify and reward those making an outstanding contribution and commitment to UCLMS students and their education. 

The Excellence in Medical Education Awards (EMEAs) provide recognition of exceptional contributions to education in any year of the MBBS programme.

How to Apply?

You will also need a reference to be completed on this form: 

Applications are currently closed, and will reopen in summer 2026.

Who Can Apply?

Applicants must have been involved in the undergraduate medical education of UCLMS students for a minimum of 1 year, including:

• Any member of academic or professional staff, who is an employee of UCL*.
• Clinicians or administrators based at NHS sites (community or hospital)*.
• Teams working together to provide teaching or implement a specific educational project.
• Members of support staff involved in the facilitation of student learning*.

You must either be currently in the role or have left within the last six months.

*Please note that if you have won an EMEA in the last three years you will need to show significant development in your field or be clear that this application is based on clearly distinct work.

Method of Application

Documents:

• EMEA Academic Guidance Notes 2025-26:

• EMEA Administrator Guidance Notes 2025-26:

The application form is organised under headings with reference to the criteria set out in the Guidance Notes. Applicants will need to provide examples of evidence to illustrate how their practice meets these criteria.

• Applicants must complete their personal details and sections 1 & 2 of the application form.
• Section 3 must be completed by a suitable referee i.e. the applicant’s Head of Department, Division or Institute, the Undergraduate Tutor at their NHS site or another appropriate teaching lead or senior colleague, who must countersign part of the form.
• Team applications must also include a description of how each member contributes to the team’s activities.
• It is not essential to excel in all areas to be considered for an EMEA. Your application should focus on outstanding achievement in three key areas out of six on the form. There is no specific time frame for your activities or examples, but they should be relevant to current teaching.
• Additional relevant supporting materials should be provided with an explanation of their relevance to the application. We have developed different sets of guidance notes for academics and administrators to provide examples of relevant evidence for each to submit with their applications.

Selection Process & Criteria

A sub-group of mQMEC will assess the quality of the applications and their supporting evidence, whilst recognising any specialist requirements of the discipline. The decision of mQMEC sub-group will be announced by the end of February. The decision is final and there is no right of appeal.

Enquiries

Enquiries about any aspect of the EMEAs should be addressed to the QA team.

Award Winners

Winners’ names are widely publicised and reported to mQMEC and other Committees.

Each winner (winning team where applicable) will receive prize money and will be presented with a certificate at the annual FMS awards.

Winners of 2025-26 Excellence in Medical Education Awards

Individual Winners

• Jacob Reyes, Whittington (winner of the Saad al-Damluji Award for “excellence in clinical teaching”)
• Vishanna Balbirsingh, Royal Free (winner of the David Jordan Award for “excellence in enhancing science in medicine”)

Team Winners

• North London NHS Foundation Trust Undergraduate Education Team, (Amina Tareen, Cara Catona, Mohamad Lalji, Kieran Ferrier, Dominika White, Haseena Bano)
• North Middlesex University Hospital Student Cardiac Arrest Bleep Faculty (Yoke Sin Hoh / Amy MacBrayne / Tony Little / Akshaya Mathialagan / Isobel Francis / Andrew Lacy / Alice Richens / Claudia Bayne / Anya Chanda / Raphaella Price)
• Whittington Health NHS Trust Remediation Placement CTF Team, (Alice Scholfield / Theodora Okechukwu / Joseph Lewis)

Previous Winners

More information about the named prizes:

David Jordan (1953-2007) was Professor of Physiology at UCL. In 1980, he joined the Department of Physiology at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine as a lecturer and was promoted to senior lecturer in 1988, and reader in 1993. Following his promotion to Professor in 1999, and the merger with UCL, David was made Head of Department on the Royal Free Campus.

Notwithstanding his significant contribution to the body of scientific knowledge via his research, David’s input to teaching and examining was considerable. He ran a number of courses in both the science and medical degree programmes, and served as an undergraduate and higher degree external examiner both within the UK and overseas.

Saad Al-Damluji (1952-2006) was an Honorary Consultant endocrinologist at the Royal Free Hospital in London, and Senior Lecturer at the Royal Free & University College Medical School from 1995.Saad had an incisive intellect and extraordinary work ethos and level of commitment. He set the highest standards, and expected the same of others. He is missed as a colleague and teacher; more than 70 students attended his funeral. His patients adored him, and his untimely death deprived the Medical School of one of its most devoted and talented teachers.