Congratulations to Dr Jake Weddell, Academic Research Fellow in Rheumatology for winning the abstract competition in the Clinical Category at the 11th BRITSpA (British Society for Spondylarthritis) Annual Scientific Meeting.
He won the award for his research into axial spondylarthritis (axSpA), a form of chronic inflammatory arthritis affecting the joints in the spine, chest and pelvis which can cause severe pain and limit daily activities.
Dr Weddell works as part of WS2 of our Musculoskeletal Disease theme which researches prevention of psoriatic arthritis, and is also a PhD student at the University of Leeds.
Dr Weddell’s winning research abstract was titled “MRI Requesting and Reporting in axSpA (axial spondylarthritis) – An Audit Against the ASAS Guidance”.
“This work is a great example of the power of audit to improve patient care by providing data to drive service development, improve efficiency, and deliver better patient outcomes by enhancing use of available resources.”
Prof Helena Marzo-Ortega, Musculoskeletal Disease Theme WS2 co-lead
His research has strengthened collaboration between rheumatologists and radiologists within Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, streamlining the process for MRI scan requests and reports.
Professor Helena Marzo-Ortega, Consultant Rheumatologist and WS2 co-lead said, “Jake’s work highlights the need to improve communication between rheumatologists and radiologists to enhance the quality of MRI requests and reports.”
“As a result, both teams have now worked together in an appraisal of the results, disseminating the findings to colleagues and working collaboratively to implement change.”
“This work is a great example of the power of audit to improve patient care by providing data to drive service development, improve efficiency, and deliver better patient outcomes by enhancing use of available resources.”
BRITSpA, a UK society of over 200 clinicians, researchers and health professionals promoting excellence in spondyloarthritis care and research, recognised Dr Weddell’s work for its impact on improving axSpA treatment at its Annual Scientific Meeting, which draws around 120 attendees.
This is Dr Weddell’s second consecutive award, making him the first person in BRITSpA 11-year history to win back-to-back awards, an impressive achievement.
Congratulations again to Dr Weddell on this fantastic accomplishment representing our high-quality research on the national stage.