Resident doctor scoops prestigious award

An honorary clinical research fellow at the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London, has gained a top prize in the prestigious 2025 Dr Falk-Pharma/Guts UK national awards.

Dr Munir Tarazi, who is a specialist registrar (SpR) currently rotating in Upper GI/General Surgery SpR at the Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, won the SPR Trainee Audit/Quality Improvement Award for his project ‘Improving long-term symptom management in oesophagogastric cancer: mapping clinical pathways and exploring new interventions.’

Dr Tarazi, received his award and project support prize at the annual meeting of the British Gastroenterology Society (BSG) in June.

Dr Tarazi explains: “The rising number of oesophageal and gastric cancer survivors presents new challenges in long-term care. Despite improved survival rates, the clinical journey often results in substantial physical, social, and emotional challenges.”

This project, which will begin in July and run for one year, aims to map the current clinical care pathway for oesophagogastric cancer survivors to identify gaps in care and areas for improvement. Researchers will work closely with patients, doctors, and other healthcare professionals to understand how follow-up care is delivered and where changes could enhance symptom management and recovery.

Dr Tarazi continued: “By conducting in-depth interviews and workshops, the study will explore potential new approaches, including more personalised and patient-led follow-up strategies. Additionally, the RECapp platform, designed to help patients self-monitor symptoms, will be tested to assess its acceptability and usability.”

The project aims to support the implementation of personalised digital tools in cancer survivorship care. By enabling smarter follow-up and symptom management, this project could transform long-term care for oesophagogastric cancer survivors in a sustainable and scalable way.

Dr Tarazi expressed: “I am incredibly grateful to receive the Dr Falk / GUTS UK Award, a deeply meaningful recognition of our commitment to improving the lives of cancer survivors through innovative, patient-centred research. It reinforces the value of addressing real-world challenges in survivorship care and motivates me to continue pursuing impactful, translational research.”

This year marks 20 years of the Dr Falk Pharma/Guts UK Awards which are dedicated to encouraging research and promoting patient care in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology. During that time, it has rewarded over 150 dedicated young healthcare professionals including medical students, resident doctors, SpRs, nurses, dietitians and, more recently, pharmacists.

For further information on the awards and other events, please visit: Dr. Falk Pharma UK