Institute of Medicine Hosts Annual Dr Noel Browne Medal in Tuberculosis

On 1 May 2024, the Institute of Medicine hosted the Annual Dr Noel Browne award for Respiratory SPRS who look after patients with Tuberculosis.   

This year the award was given to Dr Laura Piggot and Dr Helen O’Brien. 

This prestigious award is presented to Respiratory SPRs who share valuable learning points from their patient care experiences. The award is named after Dr Noel Browne, who served as Minister for Health from 1948 to 1951. During this time, he led the crusade against Tuberculosis by introducing a programme to build hospitals and sanatoriums specifically for patients with TB. This change in healthcare policy radically reduced the death rate from TB to one-seventh of what it had been in 1940s. The first Dr Noel Browne award was attended by his daughter, Ruth Browne. Previous winners include Dr Ciara Ottewill, Dr Rachel Mulpeter, Dr Louise Byrne.   

The meeting was organised by Professor Anne Marie McLaughlin, Prof Joe Keane and Ms Lorraine Dolan who work in the National TB Centre, St. James's Hospital, with the support of the Irish Mycobacteria Reference Laboratory (IMRL) and Dr Mary O’Meara.