BAA Annual Awards 2022
Nine worthy winners were presented with their awards during the British Academy of Audiology Annual Conference in Manchester on 13th and 14th October.
Every year at the British Academy of Audiology Annual Conference, time is taken to celebrate Audiologists and their teams who have excelled and shown exceptional commitment to the Audiology profession over the past 12 months. We would like to acknowledge and celebrate our 2022 champions.
Audiologist of the Year for 2022 is Dr Bhavisha Parmar
The BAA award for the Audiologist of the Year, in memory of Peggy Chalmers, is an award that recognises an Audiologist who stands out from the crowd in terms of patient care. We look for an individual who has gone above and beyond to put the patient first, or improve their experience in a small way, making a difference to them.
Dr Bhavisha Parmar was nominated by a few people for her professional manner and knowledge, going above and beyond for patients, exhibiting a high level of devotion, honesty, and dependability in a voluntary role over many years, and inspiring the next generation of Audiologists.
Team of the Year presented to York and Scarborough Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
The Team of the Year award is always a hotly contested prize, with many, many nominees worthy of winning each year. The 2022 Team of the Year was eventually chosen as York and Scarborough Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, led by Kate Iley. This team was nominated for their relentless spirit and selflessness, for being a team full of amazing characters and leaders, and a group of friendly faces, and for being a welcoming student-friendly team that ignites passion for learning.
Jos Millar Shield presented to Anne Thomas and Andrew Whitehouse
The Jos Millar Shield is a long-standing award given each year for the best contribution to a BAA publication. The recipient is chosen from all articles printed in the previous year’s magazine and newsletter, and is chosen by the publicity and communications team.
Anne and Andrew’s article – Meeting the needs of ADHD and autistic people in the audiology clinic – was a popular magazine article and was a follow up to a presentation they gave at the 2021 BAA conference. This is available to view again on the BAA website.
Paul Doody Supervisor the year is Ruzvana Zavier
This award recognises an Audiologist who stands out from the crowd in supervising and supporting a student while on placement. BAA look for an individual who has gone above and beyond to provide a supportive learning environment on placement for students, providing leadership and guidance as well as inspiration. The award is focused on the mentoring of students.
Ruzvana was nominated for being one of the most patient, understanding, and supportive trainers. She exhibits true enthusiasm and passion for her work, and offers help and support without judgement. She put significant effort in behind the scenes and is the classic ‘unsung hero’.
Paediatric Audiologist of the Year (sponsored by Phonak) is Paul Stokes
This award is aimed at those in any area of paediatrics who, it is felt, have influenced the audiological world. We welcome nominations from colleagues, patients, and families, highlighting why this person stands out from the crowd. We just stipulate that the nominated audiologist has worked in their current position for at least 6 months.
Paul Stokes was nominated for going above and beyond for a child. Paul is always at the end of the phone if needed, and is so good at getting children to open up and be responsive, which has enabled them to build positive relationships.
Student of the Year (sponsored by Oticon) presented to Beth Nixon
To be chosen as Student of the Year, winners should have made significant contributions to their group, mentored other students, be deaf themselves and overcome barriers to communication to work in the profession, studied against the odds or developed innovative practice or project work. Equally, the student may have achieved a high academic standard that we wish to celebrate and recognise.
Beth Nixon was nominated for showing great maturity, passion and commitment during her clinical placements, for her knowledge and skill base exceeding their level of experience, being a shining example of what every student should be, and being a complete breath of fresh air.
Congratulations to all our award winners. We hope to catch up with you all in more detail after the conference. For more information on the BAA Awards, please visit www.baaudiology.org/awards. Applications for the 2023 awards will open in the Summer of 2023.
Poster prizes
Best Clinical Poster was awarded to Siddrah Malik for her poster: Impact of COVID-19 on Newborn Hearing Screening Programme in a large teaching hospital
Best Research poster was awarded to Simon Howe for his poster: The use of auditory evoked potentials in people with learning disabilities: A scoping review summary
Best Student Poster was awarded to Ibrahim Almufarrij for the second year running. This year’s title was: Do hearing aid users prefer hearing aids fitted with or without real-ear measurements?