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Awards and Acknowledgements

Evidence of academic and professional standing

The following are a list of the awards, acknowledgements and contributions the Suicide Bereavement UK team have received in the field of suicide prevention and postvention

2020

University of Manchester

Dr McDonnell and her team received their fifth commended ‘Make a Difference Award for Social Responsibility’ from the University of Manchester. This was specifically for their work in suicide bereavement and for the impact of the National Suicide Bereavement Survey.


2019

University of Manchester

Volunteer of the Year Award, Staff Category, 2nd Place

University of Manchester

Dr McDonnell and her team received their fourth commended ‘Make a Difference Award for Social Responsibility’ from the University of Manchester. This was specifically for their work in suicide bereavement and for the impact of the National Suicide Bereavement Survey.


2018

University of Manchester

Dr McDonnell was awarded 'Volunteer of the Year Award' 2nd Place (Staff Category), for her voluntary work in suicide bereavement. This includes leading the National Suicide Bereavement Survey pro-bono delivering over 60 presentations to the general public and volunteering at a local suicide bereavement self-help group for several years.


University of Manchester

Dr McDonnell and her team received their third commended ‘Make a Difference Award for Social Responsibility’ from the University of Manchester. This was specifically for their work in suicide bereavement and for the impact of the National Suicide Bereavement Survey.


2017

Winston Churchill Travel Fellowship Award

Angela Samata was awarded her Winston Churchill Travel Fellowship to visit the USA and Japan, to witness best practice in Outsider Art, work made by untrained artists who may also experience mental health challenges.


2016

Public Health England

Sharon McDonnell and Barry McGale are members of the expert reference group which helped to develop Public Health England’s suicide bereavement pathway document entitled 'Support After Suicide: A Guide to Providing Local Services' (PHE, 2016).

International Association for Suicide Prevention

Barry McGale was a member of the team which secured the bid for Londonderry to host the 30th world congress of the International Association for Suicide Prevention 2019


American Association of Suicidology

Barry McGale received the Roger J. Tierney award from the American Association of Suicidology, for services to suicide prevention.


University of Manchester

Sharon McDonnell received her second commended ‘Make a Difference Award for Social Responsibility’  award from the University of Manchester. This was specifically for her work in suicide bereavement.


Public Health England

The Public Mental Health Leadership and Workforce Development Framework document lists evidence based suicide prevention training currently available in England. The Postvention Assisting those Bereaved by Suicide (PABBS) training which was informed by Dr. Sharon McDonnell and her research team, is listed in this Public Health England document. (PHE, 2016)


University of Manchester

Dr. Sharon McDonnell was invited to write a post on suicide bereavement on the University of Manchester Policy Blog.


2015

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

Liz Koole was awarded a Churchill Travel Fellowship to research services for families bereaved by suicide in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.


Public Health England

Public Health England launched ‘Help is at Hand: Support After Someone May Have Died by Suicide’ document at Manchester’s 4th Suicide Bereavement conference, organised by Sharon McDonnell.


Public Health England

Sharon McDonnell was a member of the advisory group which was involved in developing ‘Help is at Hand: Support for Those Bereaved by Suicide or Traumatic Deaths’ (PHE, 2006)


National Institute for Health Research

Sharon McDonnell and her research team (which included Barry McGale) developed evidence-based theory-driven suicide bereavement training to guide health professionals how to respond to parents bereaved by suicide. The training has been informed by a three year study funded by the National Institute for Health Research and is first of its kind internationally.


International Association for Suicide Prevention

Barry McGale jointly presented the bid to hold 2019 international Association Suicide Prevention (IASP) Congress in Derry at the 2015 IASP conference held in Montreal, Canada.


University of Manchester

Dr McDonnell received her first commended Make a Difference Award for Social Responsibility from the University of Manchester. This was for her work in the field of suicide bereavement


Greater Manchester Clinical Research Awards

Sharon McDonnell was runner up in the Greater Manchester Clinical Research Award, Public Engagement category (nominated on behalf of the School of Medical and Human Sciences at the University of Manchester)


Hansard

Sharon McDonnell’s research was referred to in a parliamentary debate entitledMale Suicide and International Men’s Day’ (Hansard, 2015)

"We have to look at how we support families, including families of men who die by suicide—I concede that men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women. How do we support families and communities? For those who wish to understand how we can support those families, I recommend the excellent work of Sharon McDonnell at the University of Manchester" - Madeleine Moon (MP for Bridgend)


Zero Suicide

Barry McGale represented Western Health & Social Care NHS Trust at the Suicide Prevention Resource Centre, Zero Suicide Academy, Baltimore USA.


2013

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

Sharon McDonnell was awarded a Winston Churchill Travel Fellowship to visit Australia and New Zealand to identify good practice in postvention.


Hansard

Barry McGale’s contribution both nationally and internationally in the field of postvention was acknowledged in a parliamentary debate (Hansard, 2013)

"The Trust has a Suicide Liaison Officer, Barry McGale, who does not just work well locally, but is globally active and is part of progressive policy-pushing network on the subject. When people spoke about the Derry model, part of what they meant was that suicide liaison service" - Mark Durkan (MP for Foyle)


2012

Hansard

The Minister of Health and Social Care was advised to read Sharon McDonnell’s research on how to support people bereaved by suicide in a parliamentary debate which focussed on the investigation of suicides, (Hansard, 2012).

"I recommend that the Minister read the work of Dr. Sharon McDonnell … She has researched how health professionals … interact with bereaved families … I urge the Minister to discuss not only the changes that she has identified as necessary but how we can move forward and ensure that we change families’ experience." - Madeleine Moon (MP for Bridgend)


http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120313/halltext/120313h0002.htm#12031355000001

NHS North West

Sharon McDonnell and Reagan Blythe, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust received a NHS North West Regional Innovation Sharing and Learning Award to subsidise the annual suicide bereavement conference.

University of Manchester

Sharon McDonnell received an ‘Investing in Success Award from the President of the University of Manchester to develop her research in the newly developing field of suicide bereavement.

The Florence Nightingale Foundation

Barry McGale was awarded the Florence Nightingale Scholarship for ‘An Examination of Suicide Postvention Practices in Australia for Families, Communities and Professionals
http://www.florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk/content/page/170/

2008 - 1999

Department of Health

Sharon McDonnell was a member of the advisory group which developed ‘Help is at Hand: Support for Those Bereaved by Suicide or Traumatic Deaths’. (DH, 2006)
http://cebmh.warne.ox.ac.uk/csr/helpisathand_march2010.pdf

People to People Ambassador Programme

Barry McGale was the Irish representative on ‘People to People Ambassador Programme’ to Cuba to review mental health services

NHS

Sharon McDonnell was awarded a NHS Research & Development Research Fellowship to conduct her PhD, which focussed on the experiences of parents bereaved by suicide.

For more information contact:
Dr Sharon McDonnell
Tel: 01706 827 359
Email: sharon.mcdonnell@suicidebereavementuk.com