Students and societies from the School of Medicine are celebrating wins in a series of high-profile categories at this year’s Guild Awards following a glitzy ceremony at the Mountford Hall.
The student doctors were recognised for their outstanding contributions to making the University and wider community a better place.
Category: Course Rep of the Year
Winner: Antony Lavercombe
Each year, this award goes to a Course Rep who has gone the extra mile to improve the student experience and make sure students’ voices are heard by the University.
Year 4 Rep Antony Lavercombe was put forward for ‘going above and beyond to always make the time to listen to students and support them in resolving their issues, for being approachable, caring and knowledgeable - an asset to the Course Rep team and the students he supports.’
Antony says, “It’s a real privilege to represent my year as Course Rep and a massive honour to receive this prize.
I thoroughly enjoy the role of Rep as it allows me to support students and try to improve the student experience both for my cohort and the next.
It can be a challenge juggling studying and the Rep responsibilities, but it is very rewarding to feel I have made a positive impact for my peers.”
Category: Fundraiser(s) of the Year
Winner: Myanmar Food Festival by Humanitarian Society
Liverpool’s Humanitarian Society picked up this award for an outstanding contribution to Guild fundraising for UK-registered charities.
In light of the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, their food festival this March brought together the Burmese community, raised awareness of the conflict and sourced a staggering £6,000 to provide medical relief to the people in Myanmar.
Student Doctor Mahima Suresh Bharadwaj helped organise the event as Secretary of the Humanitarian Society, along with Student Doctor and President of the society Jessica Lwin.
Mahima says, “For me, taking up the challenge of co-organising the food festival with Jessica was in itself the highlight of the year! The success of the event and winning the Guild Award for it, has been the icing on the cake and I could not have imagined a better way to end this academic year!
For a small and new society like ours, this event has been a stepping stone and we hope to draw upon the lessons we learnt in the process to organise more events in the future.
We have been approached by members of the local community to organise fundraisers, and we are super excited to plan and execute them the upcoming academic year! We hope it draws a similar response and we continue to raise donations for NGOs.”
Category: Biggest impact on the city of Liverpool
Winner: Shantanu Kundu
This category saw not one but two winners from the School of Medicine, with the prize awarded to those who have gone above and beyond to positively impact the city of Liverpool in an extraordinary year; stepping beyond campus to affect change.
Shantanu earnt his award for his role in ‘pioneering innovative workshops, placement programmes and affordable counselling campaigns that have impacted students across the country throughout the pandemic.’ Through his Be Free Campaign charitable organisation, Shantanu has ‘influenced the lives of thousands across the country through social campaigning, setting the bar for the next generation of change-makers.’
Shantanu says, “I have been working for better mental health outcomes for a few years now and recognition is the last thing you expect.
I'm super grateful for the University's support and dedication to improving mental health on campus.
I'm excited to be working with the government and influencers to continue making change and improvements to society's mental health.”
Shantanu continues to facilitate conversations around mental health, as well as driving initiatives that support young people in taking control of their wellbeing. During Mental Health Awareness Week, his work was even spotlighted on Instagram by Love Island's Dr Alex!
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His latest project is wellness journal, We Move, with student doctor and influencer Faye Bate, designed to help others explore and improve their mental health. Order your copy on Amazon (link).
Category: Biggest impact on the city of Liverpool
Winner: Student Neonatal Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society (SNOGS)
SNOGS picked up the second prize in this category for having a huge impact on campus and in the local community, as they continued to engage and support students and the medical community throughout the pandemic with teaching sessions, events and charity work.
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Their annual charity conference “Women: How Far We’ve Come” at Liverpool Women’s Hospital raised awareness and provided insightful teaching to medical students, nurses and professionals as well as supporting and sharing the work of three incredible charities.
SNOGS President Priyanka Sharma says, “We are so honoured to have won the Biggest Impact on the City of Liverpool Award.
We’ve worked so hard this year to deliver for our Liverpool medical students as well as give back to the local Liverpool community.
We’re so happy that we’ve been able to do this despite the pandemic, and receiving this award is just motivation for us to do more!
On that note, see you tomorrow, Saturday 14th May, for our revision day! Tickets available via the Guild (link).”
Massive congratulations! Check out the full list of winners over on the Guild website (link).
Discover more
- Get involved with Liverpool’s Humanitarian Society and SNOGS over at Liverpool Guild of Students (link).
- Learn more about Course Reps and their role in influencing positive change on the student intranet (link).
- Check out the resources and opportunities available to you on the Be Free Campaign website (link).