Awards hat-trick for Gastro rising star

Published: 06 November 2018

Dr Mark Samaan, who recently led on our Patient Involvement in Research day, has won three awards for his work in gastroenterology clinical research in the past year.

Final year Specialist Registrar in gastroenterology, Dr Mark Samaan has won the Royal College of Physicians/NIHR Clinical Research Network Award for leadership in research in the trainee category.

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It’s truly a privilege to receive this recognition from both sets of awards over the past year. I’m so proud to have actively contributed to the development of IBD research through the first national patient involvement research day, and to have the opportunity to have first-hand experience of supporting the recruitment of patients onto studies.

Mark received this latest award for his work in setting up and running the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patient involvement in research day to coincide with World IBD Day in May. 

For his work in recruiting patients to two studies, Mark also received a Royal College of Physicians/NIHR Clinical Research Network Award in 2017. One of these trials was GO-LEVEL, which uses a drug called golimumab to treat Ulcerative Colitis

Finally, Mark achieved the Young Gastroenterologist of the Year 2018 in the area of clinical and translational science which he received earlier this year from the British Society of Gastroenterology. 

Mark’s interest in clinical research began in 2013 when he had the opportunity to work at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam. He feels that being involved in clinical research is hugely beneficial to him as a practising clinician.

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I’m passionate about clinical research as it provides you with a much broader depth of knowledge in the disease area and therefore makes you a better clinician. Being able to access new treatments through clinical trials and provide that sense of hope for the most challenging of patient conditions is an honour.

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