Professor Carrie Newlands has been recognised and awarded for her research into sexual misconduct in surgical environments.
Last September, a report was released that found 63.3% of women and 23.7% of men had experienced sexual harassment from surgery colleagues in the past five years.
Professor Newlands – a consultant in oral and maxillofacial surgeon (OMFS) – was awarded the Colyer Gold Medal by the Royal College of Surgeons for her contributions, alongside her colleague, Daljit Dhariwal.
The Colyer Gold Medal is awarded for ‘excellence in oral healthcare, for service to the faculty, contributions to the profession or wider society through actions or discoveries’.
She said: ‘I’m honoured to receive the Colyer Gold Medal with my colleague and friend, Daljit Dhariwal.
‘The impact of our research into sexual misconduct in surgery is encouraging. It has sparked important discussions about making work environments in UK hospitals safer.
‘While there’s much progress to be made, openly having these conversations is a significant first step.
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‘Problem for all of healthcare’
Other statistics from the report show that nearly one third of women (29.9%) had been sexually assaulted by a colleague. The majority of participants (89.5% of women and 81% of men) also said they have witnessed some form of sexual misconduct.
During a lecture at the University of Edinburgh last year, Professor Newlands stressed that an understanding of sexual misconduct is not limited to surgical staff.
‘Sexual misconduct by colleagues is a problem for all of healthcare, including patients,’ she said. ‘It is a worldwide problem, especially where there is a power imbalance.’
However, she added that she believes the surgical environment and the people it attracts means it is likely to have especially high rates of sexual misconduct.
She added: ‘The personality traits of many surgeons and the power that comes with the role makes it more likely for them to get away with it.’
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