A graduate from UWE Bristol has won the Radiotherapy Student of the Year award. The award will be presented by the Society and College of Radiographers to Fran Roberts at a special ceremony at the House of Commons on Tuesday 8 November 2011. This is the third time in four years that a radiotherapy student from the University has been awarded this prestigious national prize.
Fran who graduated in the summer with a first class degree in BSc (Hons) Radiotherapy is now enjoying work as a Therapeutic Radiographer in the Oncology Department at the Cheltenham General Hospital. She said, "I couldn't believe it, when I heard I'd won the award. I feel very honoured as there are a lot of good potential candidates working to a very high standard. I'm very appreciative of the support and encouragement I've had during the course along the way from UWE lecturers, as well as ancillary support whilst on placement.
"I'm looking forward to attending the awards ceremony with my family and my lecturer and mentor, Jan Chianese. It's a unique experience to go to the House of Commons and it will be particularly special to have my father there, as he was unable to attend my graduation in July due to illness.
"I enjoyed my experience at UWE, and one of the main reasons I chose to study there was to have the opportunity to undertake placements in three different departments with different equipment and techniques at Truro, Cheltenham and Bristol. They were excellent and being in a clinical environment was really core to my learning. I'm still learning on the job and loving my work as a Therapeutic Radiographer.”
The Therapeutic Radiography teaching team at UWE Bristol nominated Fran for the award. She was commended for her enthusiasm and passion for the radiotherapy programme and profession, both as a student ambassador at Open days and as a very popular Peer Assisted Learning Leader, helping first year students who needed additional help with their studies.
Fran also delivered a key note lecture to second year students following a trip to Switzerland to see proton therapy and is working on publishing a paper from her final year research project on the psychosocial and physical effects of cancer therapies on head and neck cancer survivors.
Jan Chianese, Therapeutic Radiography lecturer, said, “We are delighted that Fran has won this award, in the year that the Society of Radiographers marks the 'Year of Radiotherapy'. She exemplifies perfectly the skills, passion and knowledge needed in delivering this vital cancer treatment and this award is testament to her passion and commitment to raising awareness of the radiotherapy profession. Fran continues to be a great ambassador and even recently gave up her free time to appear in a short You Tube film showcasing VERT, our virtual linear accelerator here at the University.
“Whilst on placement Fran was equally well-regarded by clinical staff and received excellent feedback. They were impressed by her excellent communication skills, calm manner under pressure, professionalism and depth of knowledge. She was considered as a valuable asset to the clinical team, showing great self motivation and enthusiasm.
“Fran has been an inspiration to her peers, clinical colleagues and the academic team. We're sure that she has a successful career ahead of her and will make a real contribution to the field of cancer care and radiotherapy.”
Professor Steve West, UWE Bristol Vice-Chancellor, said, “Congratulations to Fran on this thoroughly well deserved achievement. The fact that the Society of Radiographers has now honoured UWE students three times in the last four years demonstrates the high regard in which the students and quality of teaching on the radiotherapy programme are held. Well done to everyone.”
For more information on studying radiotherapy at UWE, visit: http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/B822/2012
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