Jackson Kirkman-Brown wins Healthcare Scientist of the Year 2014

Congratulations to Dr Jackson Kirkman-Brown MBE, Science Lead for the Fertility Centre at Birmingham Women’s Hospital who has won Healthcare Scientist of the Year at the 2014 Healthcare Science Awards on 31st March.

Jackson was presented with his award by Celia Ingham-Clark National Director for Reducing Premature Deaths at NHS England and Professor Sue Hill OBE, the Chief Scientific Officer.
Jackson’s citation read:

Dr Jackson Kirkman-Brown’s clinical work involves working with the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Birmingham, The Queen Elizabeth is the receiving hospital for military casualties, many of whom are serving in Afghanistan.

Jackson’s area of specialist interest is infertility and preserving the fertility of men injured as a result of military conflict, he has developed a unique service to assist these injured men.

Jackson and his team recognised that following a blast injury, men with genital injuries required a rapid effective method to retrieve and preserve sperm for future use. Men with genital injuries were diagnosed as facing a future of infertility with an inability to conceive their own genetic child as a result of the injuries received. Jackson and his team developed an innovative method to retreive viable sperm from these men.

Jackson and his team work tirelessly to ensure these men are given every possible opportunity to have their own genetic child following recovery from injury. Jackson has dedicated an enormous amount of his personal time and effort into making this innovative approach a reality he and his team are on call 24 hours a day to ensure the service is available when required.

This service gives hope to those who otherwise might face a life without children.
Jacksons work was recognised nationally when he was appointed MBE in the Queens New Years Honours list in 2013. This was followed closely by the birth of the first child to be conceived as a result of the teams pioneering work in spring 2013.