Bristol medic recognised as rising star by Royal College of Psychiatry

A University of Bristol medical student has
received a double honour from the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Fourth year student Anna Taylor, from Manchester, won the College’s award for
medical student of the year at a ceremony in London this month, beating tough
nationwide competition. The annual awards mark the highest level of achievement
within psychiatry, and are designed to recognise and reward excellent practice
in the field of mental health.

The judges’ citation said: “Anna is an outstanding medical student. The Bristol
Psychiatry Society clearly blossomed during her presidency, and her legacy
includes short films highlighting psychiatry as a career. Anna’s research
portfolio is impressive. As an educator, she has developed a workshop that has been
integrated into the University’s medical curriculum. We look forward to
welcoming Anna to our profession, and hope that she will be a leading
psychiatrist in years to come.”

Anna said: “I was absolutely delighted to receive the award – it was a huge surprise!
It was very humbling to be counted among so many psychiatrists who I admire and
respect. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have been so supported by the faculty in
my various research, teaching, and student representation endeavours, and I
hope to continue these throughout the rest of my degree and beyond.”

Professor Sir Simon Wessely, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists,
presented Anna with her trophy.

In addition to her award, Anna was also successful in winning an RCPsych
Pathfinder Fellowship – part of a scheme to bring forward a new generation of
psychiatrists.

Professor Jonathan Sandy, dean of health
sciences at the University of Bristol, said: “We are enormously proud of
Anna. Winning the RCPsych medical student of the year is a huge achievement by
itself, and her award of the fellowship underlines how deserving she is. I’m
sure the fellowship will be hugely beneficial, and the whole faculty wishes her
every success.”

The fellowship provides three years of mentoring, funding towards a research
project, elective placement, or a student selected component in psychiatry,
access to events, and journal subscriptions.