ASME Gold Medal Award for Prof Valerie Wass

30
Mar
2015

ASME Gold Medal Award for Prof Valerie Wass

We are very pleased to hear that Valerie Wass, member of the Executive Committee of AMSE, has been awarded the prestigious Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME) Gold Medal Award 2015 in recognition of her outstanding contribution to medical education.

As one of only two women on the Medical School Council (MSC) until her retirement, and the first women ever to be elected to the MSC Executive, Professor Wass has already received three industry awards in her career. She receives her ASME Gold Award this summer and will retain it for 12 months. She has also been given lifelong honorary ASME membership.

ASME promotes excellence and high quality research into medical education while providing opportunities for developing medical educators and advising governmental and other organisations on medical education issues. The ASME Gold Medal was established to recognise outstanding contribution to medical education as a whole and this year Professor Valerie Wass, the former Head of Keele University’s School of Medicine, was chosen.

Val Wass

Professor Wass is a founder member of the European Board of Medical Assessment and an executive member of the Association of Medical Schools in Europe. She also chairs the MSC Education Committee, was elected nationally to chair the Medical School Assessment Alliance in 2011, and represents the UK on the World Association of Family Medicine Doctors (WONCA).

Other impressive career highlights for Professor Wass have included posts in Nephrology and Paediatrics, at Guy’s Hospital in London, and 12 years as a GP in Kent. In 1995 she moved to work in academia, focusing on primary care, which led to appointments at Guy’s, Kings and St Thomas, Manchester and Keele Medical Schools respectively.

Nicky Pender, ASME chief executive, says: “Professor Wass has contributed outstandingly to all ASME criteria and her high quality research has been widely disseminated, with significant international impact. This, along with her work on community education and diversity, has facilitated medical excellence at three UK medical schools. Professor Wass has also provided consultancy to organisations in over 20 countries, and been awarded RCGP recognition for exceptional work developing healthcare education internationally. I can’t think of a more worthy winner of the ASME Gold Medal Award.”

Professor Wass, who is also editor of Education in Primary Care, says: “The ASME Gold Award is the ultimate accolade and I’m honoured to have been chosen.”

Professor Wass was awarded an OBE in the 2015 New Year’s honours list.

For further media information please contact Samantha McKay-Challen or Fiona Vernon.