The Dr Michael Blacow Memorial Fund was established following a donation to the British Paediatric Association by Commander and Mrs A H Blacow in memory of their son, Michael, a trainee paediatrician who was killed in an accident.
A money prize (拢200) from the trust fund is awarded annually for the best abstract paper presented in plenary session at the RCPCH Conference by a paediatrician below consultant status.
Selection of the prize-winning paper is made by an open audience vote for those who attended the plenary session, and is finalised and reviewed by the Conference organising committee.
Here are the winners from recent years. (Please note the award did not take place in 2019 and 2020)
| Year and location of Conference | Winner | Title of paper |
|---|---|---|
| 2026, Birmingham | Dr Niamh Scally | PEARL: Postnatal early antibiotic review for low-risk babies |
| 2025, Glasgow | Dr Joseph Pickles | Every Dose Counts: Thinking about sustainable prescribing |
| 2024, Birmingham | Dr Katheryn Ferin | MMEGA: Making Medical Education Great Again |
| 2023, Glasgow | Dr Sean Kelleher | Improving Staff Clinical Competence in Caring for LGBTQ+ Patients in the Paediatric Emergency Department through Online Education |
2022, Liverpool | Dr Sharmila Manivannan | A trainee-led national programme to reduce differential attainment at subspecialty paediatric training (GRID): A team Soft Landing initiative |
| 2021, Virtual | Dr Shaarna Shanmugavadivel | Impact of diversity in training resources on self-confidence in diagnosing skin conditions across a range of skin tones: an international survey |
| 2018, Glasgow | Dr Marylyn Emedo | Adverse experiences of unaccompanied asylum seeking children and the impact on their emotional wellbeing and mental health needs |
| 2017, Birmingham | Dr Karen Martin | Developing an early intervention programme for children at high-risk of neurodevelopmental impairment in Uganda |
| 2016, Liverpool | Dr Felicity Fitzgerald | Comparison of children testing negative and positive for Ebola virus disease in Ebola holding units, Sierra Leone |
| 2015, Birmingham | Dr Benjamin Eder | Delivery of a school health and nutrition programme for Kenyan children: a feasibility study |
| 2013, Glasgow | Dr J Mant | Understanding children鈥檚 experiences of being newly diagnosed with cancer |
| 2012, Glasgow | Dr Laura McGlone | Alcohol and drug exposure in infants born to mothers prescribed methadone during pregnancy |