Doctor wins a top award for Covid research
SPOT THAT VIRUS AFFECTED ETHNIC
AMONG THE FIRST TO
GROUPS DIFFERENTLY
A RESEARCHER who was among the first scientists and doctors to highlight the differing impact of Covid-19 on ethnic groups has received an award from his peers.
The Royal College of Physicians named Dr Manish Pareek, pictured, consultant in infectious diseases at Leicester’s hospitals and associate clinical professor in infectious diseases at the University of Leicester, the winner of the Graham Bull Prize.
His work on understanding Covid-19 over the past 18 months has had a huge impact, with more than 35 peer-reviewed papers published, more than £10 million awarded to continue his research, and the ethnicity subgroup of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) spoken with to influence policy and response to the pandemic.
The Graham Bull Prize is awarded to researchers aged under 45 who have made a major contribution to clinical science.
The winner is invited to deliver the Goulstonian Lecture on behalf of the Royal College of Physicians, which has been held annually since 1639.
Dr Pareek said: “I am honoured to receive this prize and so proud that I will be able to take the important work my team has done in Leicester to the Goulstonian Lecture.
“Research is always a team effort and I could not have done this work without my colleagues at Leicester’s hospitals and the University of Leicester.
“I would also like to thank all the healthcare workers across the country who have taken part in our studies so far.”
Dr Pareek’s coronavirus research began with the first systematic review of Covid-19 literature aimed at quantifying the risk by ethnicity.
He went on to highlight the increased risk of infection in healthcare workers from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Dr Pareek’s team is running the UK-Rech and Direct studies through the National Institute of Health Research Leicester Biomedical Research Centre to explore the different risks and impacts felt by healthcare workers from different ethnicities.
More than 18,000 healthcare workers have so far taken part in these studies.
Dr Pareek said: “For a city as richly diverse as Leicester, understanding how Covid-19 impacts our communities differently is vital.
“We have worked during the pandemic to make sure these differences are understood and communicated to the highest levels of policy makers to keep our communities safe and improve their care.”