Dr Mo Sacoor MRCP Scholarship Programme Providing a life changing opportunity JUNE 2017 Fourth Edition
Programme Overview The Dr Mo Sacoor MRCP Scholarship Programme funds six schemes and has supported a remarkable 215 students at Sheffield so far. The programme is well on its way to reaching 1,000 individuals. The University of Sheffield is very grateful to Dr Sacoor for his continued generosity which has such a powerful impact on students. For more information and to stay up to date please visit: www.facebook.com/mosacoorscholarshipprogramme www.sheffield.ac.uk/alumni/donate/specialfunds/drmosacoorscholarships
Undergraduate Scholarships The Undergraduate Scholarships are awarded to first year medical and music students on the basis of financial need. 11 awards were made in the 2016/17 academic year. Read more about their impact below. Sophie Williamson Music and Philosophy Abiramie Ravindiran Medicine
Undergraduate Scholarships Thomas McKenzie Medicine Tasha Fretwell Music
Undergraduate Scholarships Luke Nolan Medicine Ben Skerrett Medicine
Research Presentation This award supports medical students who have been involved in research to attend and present their work at national and international meetings. To date, 50 students have been supported to attend conferences, providing them with the valuable opportunity to develop their skills, network and showcase their hard work. Molly Marsden, Research Presentation Scholarship 2017 As part of a SSC (student selected component) at the beginning of my second year, I had the opportunity to spend six weeks researching the Career Plans of Foundation Doctors. The research explored the motivations behind different career choices as well as the push and pull factors of the diverse range of specialities. This was my first time working on a research project, so I was thrilled when the Medical Women's Federation (MWF) accepted my poster abstract for their Autumn 2016 conference. The conference took place in London and featured talks and workshops surrounding the title: Women Doctors: Equity or Equality?. I presented my poster during the scheduled breaks to other MWF members, and I was surprised to see that a consultant paediatrician had shared my poster on Twitter! I also found it fascinating to read the other poster presentations at the event and the conference has inspired me to continue with my research project. Without the Dr Mo Sacoor Research Presentation Scholarship, I would not have been able attend due to the conference fees and travel costs to London, and I am therefore extremely grateful for the Scholarship and would like to thank Dr Sacoor for giving me the opportunity to present my research.
Research Presentation Alex Owen, Research Presentation Scholarship 2016 In October 2016, I was lucky enough to be invited to the European Academy of Paediatric Societies (EAPS) Congress in Geneva to present the findings of my BMedSci project. My pilot study explored the application of infrared thermography (IRT) in detecting acute non-specific limp, in young children. Using a thermal camera, I recorded the lower limb skin temperature of 30 children from Accident & Emergency in the Sheffield Children s Hospital. Although limited by a small sample size, results suggested that areas affected by pathology were associated with an increased skin temperature. Additionally, more serious pathologies, such as fracture, produced a greater temperature differential. Particularly interesting was the fact that IRT could detect patients with suspected toddler s fracture: a disease that is not often detected by x-ray imaging. Following completion of my BMedSci degree, an e-poster summary of my project was accepted for the EAPS Congress. Throughout the congress, my poster was displayed on monitors throughout the main conference hall, where colleagues could interact with the poster as well as send questions to the authors. Additionally, I was allocated a timeslot to officially present my findings to a small audience of 30-40 people, where there was an extended question-and-answer session. In general, my project was very well received. People found IRT an interesting and exciting technology, and my poster seemed to spark ideas into this novel application. Following my presentation, I got a number of challenging questions regarding my project and helped advise researchers interested in designing similar studies. The EAPS Congress was astonishing, with a huge number of specialists and researchers under one roof and a variety of company representatives, promoting the newest technology. The lecture series across the long weekend was fantastic, with world-renowned physicians explaining the nuances of their specialisms. Educational Symposiums discussed everything from the investigation of congenital heart disease to the management of acute renal failure, whilst Plenary Sessions examined subjects ranging from allergens and immune response to updated sepsis pathophysiology. Having the opportunity to experience an international conference has broadened my appreciation of the medical community and has definitely sparked my interest in future events. I am extremely grateful to Mo for his generous Scholarship Fund, without which, I doubt that I would have been able to afford to attend an international conference. With my future career plans firmly set on paediatrics, this experience has been irreplaceable and I am keen to attend similar events in the future.
Research Presentation Caroline Bradley, Research Presentation Scholarship 2017 On Monday 13th March 2017, I presented my research project from my intercalated BMedSci year at the Annual International Meeting of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgeons, held in Belfast at the Belfast Waterfront Conference Centre. My research, completed with Mr Norman Briffa, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon in Sheffield examined whether Are Two better than One? In patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery, is the use of 2 arterial conduits associated with improved patient outcomes? The retrospective observational cohort study examined patient outcomes including early mortality, time to discharge, survival and need for coronary re-intervention, and looked at whether the choice of conduit used for the bypass graft had a statistically significant impact. My project found that contrary to published evidence, the use of a second arterial conduit, was not associated with improved survival or a decreased need for coronary intervention. My abstract was selected for a poster presentation in the Patrick MaGee Medal competition at the 3 day conference. I flew to Belfast on the Sunday and attended the conference on Monday morning to put up my poster and attend the day s events. The conference is huge, and there are many different programmes running all day, with a specific programme aimed at medical students and junior trainees which I attended. We had talks from a number of different senior surgeons, including an inspiring congenital heart surgeon, and other leaders in the field. In the afternoon we presented our posters, and I spoke to a number of the judges and surgeons about the research and discussed the challenges I had found completing my work, as well as the parts I am proudest of. Additionally, they offered constructive advice on how I could take the project forward, and advice for my future endeavours. Many of the consultants in attendance were friendly and encouraging regarding my thoughts to pursue a career in surgery, and potentially cardiothoracic surgery. The realities of the job and the competitive nature of the field mean that I am still considering whether another surgical speciality would be my choice, but the experience at the conference has been so useful for my future. The experience of presenting at an international conference whilst still a medical student was excellent and I feel it was a great opportunity to improve my presentation skills, present my research at an international level, gain feedback, enhance my portfolio and meet like-minded individuals. I would like to extend my thanks to Dr Mo Sacoor for his generous scholarship, which helped to cover the cost of this conference. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and appreciate his investment in my future and am very grateful for the encouragement I have felt through receiving this scholarship. His support of undergraduates and their future aspirations is very much appreciated.
Research Presentation The Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health is very grateful for the support Dr Sacoor has provided to BMedSci students. These medical students take a year out of their MBChB undergraduate course to undertake an often challenging research project. The support provided by Dr Sacoor has allowed the best and brightest of these intercalating students to present their findings at national and international meetings. This is always an extremely rewarding, motivating opportunity for these students. Professor Oliver Bandmann, Professor of Movement Disorders Neurology and BMedSci Programme Director at the Sheffield Medical School comments: I remember so well how disappointed I was when I did research as a medical student myself and then had the amazing opportunity to present my findings at a very important international meeting only to then find out that my alma mater, the Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany did not have the funds to support me. It is very wonderful to now encourage and enthuse medical students to become involved in medical research at the University of Sheffield where such support is available thanks to the generosity of donors such as Dr Sacoor. Music Performance One of Dr Sacoor s major passions in life in music. As a result he established the Music Performance Scholarships at Sheffield which are awarded to students in the Department of Music who demonstrate outstanding performance skills. Each year Dr Sacoor supports three performance scholarships. This year s Dr Mo Sacoor Prize Winners Concert took place in Firth Hall on 2nd March. This concert celebrated previous year s winners and it was really impressive to see how the students had developed. Outstanding performances were given by Anna Feather (soprano), Matt Jacobson (clarinet), Liam Johnson (guitar) and Jonny Poole (saxophone). For details about future events, please visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ mosacoorscholarshipprogramme
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