Awards for Core Pancreatitis Researchers

Damian Mole

From 2002-2005 he was awarded a three year Amelie Waring Research Training Fellowship while based at Queen’s University of Belfast. £112,395 was awarded in total. The project was titled “Isolation and modulation of the hepatic cytokine response to acute pancreatitis”.

He commences a 5 year senior clinical fellowship (SCF) awarded by the Medical Research Council in February 2017. This highly competitive and prestigious fellowship is awarded to those with an “effective track record of internationally competitive independent research”, to fund ambitious research programmes.  He will study premature death and organ hypofunction after severe acute pancreatitis.

The SCF supports talented medically and other clinically qualified professionals, with an effective  track record of internationally competitive independent research, to make the transition to research leadership.

A SCF provides funding for a challenging research programme, and an ambitious programme of research training.

Guts UK’s Chairman, Professor Chris Hawkey says:

“This is an important and well deserved award. Pancreatitis is a priority area for Guts UK because we believe real clinical progress can be made soon. This award builds on Guts UK’s support and towards this vision. Well done, Damian.”

Alastair Hayes

Guts UK’s current Amelie Waring fellow based at the University of Edinburgh, he was awarded £180,000. The project titled “Defining the mechanistic role of kynurenine 3-monoxygenase (KMO) inhibition in the resolution of organ dysfunction in severe acute pancreatitis” runs from 2014 to 2017.

Dr Hayes won the 2016 Lord Smith Medal at the Pancreatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland for this work.