Leicester primary care diabetes doctor and researcher given prestigious award

A primary care doctor in Leicester who has built up an international reputation for his research has been presented with a top accolade by a leading professional association.

Dr Sam Seidu has picked up an Award for Outstanding Early Career Researchers in UK and Ireland by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC).

The accolade is part of a programme to celebrate excellence in primary care research.

The awards are judged by a panel of esteemed primary care academics working with the RCGP and SAPC. They recognise the contribution of early career researchers to advancing primary care theory and practice.

As well as being a General Practitioner and Partner at Hockley Farm Medical Practice, Dr Seidu is also NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the University of Leicester.

Dr Seidu is also Head of Research for Primary Care Diabetes Europe (PCDE) and also the Chair of the PCDE Study Group of European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). He is the Associate Editor of the Primary Care Diabetes Europe Journal.

In addition, he is currently a Clinical Lead and mentor for Diabetes in Leicester City Clinical Commissioning Group.

Dr Seidu said: “My passion for research comes from a strong desire to improve frontline healthcare for people with diabetes. Progression is made through increasing the evidence base and knowledge available and this can only be done through research. To be recognised by the RCGP and the SAPC means a lot, especially as part of this awards programme.”

Professor Kamlesh Khunti, Director of NIHR ARC East Midlands and Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester, said: “Sam has always been a first-class clinician, but his research credentials have grown and grown to the point where he now has an international standing within his field of expertise. This award is fully deserved and a recognition of Sam’s achievements in advancing the knowledge base of type 2 diabetes through his inciteful and thought-provoking research.”

Professor Melanie Davies CBE, Co-Director of the Leicester Diabetes Centre and Director of the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, said: “We are lucky to work with such a talented researcher who fully deserves this award. Sam is both hardworking and dynamic and has truly blossomed under the mentorship of Kamlesh. At the Leicester Diabetes Centre we are fortunate to have a collection of outstanding academics working in primary care, with Sam leading the way in the next generation of great researchers in this field.”

Professor Azhar Farooqi, who is the Chair Leicester City CCG and Director of the Black and Minority Ethnic Centre for Health, ARC East Midlands, said: “This award is a fantastic achievement by Sam. He is a skilled and collaborative researcher and his work, in particular in diabetes, has contributed significantly to improving the care of patients . We are very lucky to have such a talent in Leicester.”

NIHR ARC East Midlands funds vital work to tackle the region’s health and care priorities by speeding up the adoption of research onto the frontline of health and social care. The organisation puts in place evidence-based innovations which seek to drive up standards of care and save time and money.

NIHR ARC East Midlands is hosted by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and works in collaboration with the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network. It has bases at University of Leicester and University of Nottingham.