Finalists confirmed

The Royal College of Podiatry has announced the finalists for its 2026 awards, recognising excellence across clinical practice, education, research and professional leadership. Members can also now vote for the Members’ Choice Award ahead of the ceremony on 12 June.

More than 70 nominations were received this year, with entries assessed for eligibility before being reviewed and scored by the College’s leadership team. Winners were then selected from the finalists by the Awards Committee. 

Winners will be announced at the ceremony on Friday 12 June. 

The finalists

Alf Morris Community Award 

• Jane Lewis, The India Project   

• Shauna Nash, Foyle Foot and Ankle Clinic, Derry  

• Emma Price, Open Door Centre in Cheltenham and the Gloucester City Mission 

• Deborah Wilson, Malawi Project (in partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University and Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons (Glasgow))  

James Hallam Clinical/Academic Educator of the Year Award

• Ruth Barn, Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) 

• Jennifer Dickson, University of Salford 

•  Dr Alexander Izod, University of East London

• Angela Thomas, Livewell Southwest CIC (affiliated to the University of Plymouth)

• Michelle Tracey, Ulster University, Magee Campus   

Diamond Lifetime Achievement Award 

• Angela Abbott, Southwest Podiatry Workforce Action Group

• Ivan Bristow, Private practitioner and consultant, Honorary Professor at Health Sciences University, Dorset, and visiting professor at other universities in the UK and Australia  

• M Tariq Khan, Consultant Podiatrist (Great Ormond Street Hospital, London; Sydney Children’s Hospital, Sydney; The Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital, Melbourne) and Director of the Marigold Clinic  

• Debbie Sharman, Consultant Podiatrist, University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Members’ Choice Award

• Christopher Ansermoz, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

• Khansah Imitaz, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust 

• Hetal Patel, Princess Royal University Hospital, Bromley  

• Lauren Thompson, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust  

• Mark Waugh, North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust 

Podiatry Careers Champion

• James William David Alvey, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

• Ganesh Baliah, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust  

• Simon Croucher and Florentin Baciu, Bognor Podiatry Clinic  

• Phil Hendy, University of Plymouth

• Bindee Mosaheb, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust 

The Hive Podiatry Team of the Year Award

• NHS Fife Podiatry Tissue Viability Team 

• South Ayrshire Podiatry Team, NHS Ayrshire and Arran

• The Allied Health and Nursing Collaborative Leg Engagement (ANCLE) Café  

• The Homerton Healthcare Community Podiatry Team, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 

• The North Cumbria Podiatry Service, North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust  

• The Tower Hamlets Podiatry Team, East London NHS Foundation Trust   

Research and Innovation Award

• Michael Backhouse – BigToe Inserts

• Sarah Bradshaw – CUBED App (For Podiatrists)  

• Hywel Dda Podiatry and Arrhythmia Service – Atrial Fibrillation Detection Project  

• Kalpita Majumdar and Nadine Price – Next-gen diabetic foot care: developing a virtual MDT that connects primary and secondary teams 

• Jayne Robbie – ACT NOW 

Weightmans Rising Star Award

• Claire Atkinson, North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust

• Samantha Smith, Brandon Podiatry  

Student of the Year (Pre-Registration)  

• Lucy Booth, University of Salford  

• Xu Cao, Health Sciences University, Bournemouth

• Arham Khalid, University of Brighton  

• Heather MacDougall, Glasgow Caledonian University  

• Jose Sebastiao, Homerton NHS Foot Health / University of East London

• Sophie Widdows, Cardiff Metropolitan University   

Volunteer of the Year

• Jill Ferrari, Age UK

• Khansah Imitaz, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust  

• Lauren Thompson, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust 

Members’ Choice Award: voting now open

Members can vote for the Members’ Choice Award via an online ballot, offering the opportunity to recognise a podiatrist directly.

Voting is open now and will close ahead of the awards ceremony on 12 June.

What’s different this year?

The awards programme has been restructured, with finalists now named in every category.  

The ceremony will take place at the Royal Institution from 5:30 to 8:30pm on Friday 12 June. Moving to an evening, theatre-style event is different from previous years, when the awards were held during the day at the House of Lords. 

Attending the awards

Tickets are now available: 

• members: £20  

• non-members: £50  

Finalists will receive up to two complimentary tickets.

Members can book at: https://events.rcpod.org.uk/

What happens next?

Members can cast their vote for the Members’ Choice Award ahead of the ceremony.

Winners will be announced at the Royal Institution on Friday 12 June.

Links and references

Book your ticket to the Royal College of Podiatry awards 2026 

Vote for the Members' Choice Award winner

Find out more about the awards on the Royal College of Podiatry website  

Correction

Correction 11.05.2026: We have updated this article to correct an earlier error. It previously stated Phil Hendy, South West NHS; this has now been corrected to Phil Hendy, University of Plymouth.

Correction 22.05.2026: We have updated this article with the finalists' latest employer information.