Congratulations to Maeve McLaughlin, winner of this year's Hugh Platt Foundation Essay Prize. Thank you to everyone who entered this year's competition and to our judges who had the difficult job of selecting a winner from all the excellent essays that were submitted. You can read Maeve's full essay on our essay competitions page. 

Maeve is in her second year of training at the Severn Foundation School. Here's what she had to say about winning the competition. 

I am delighted, I really enjoyed learning about the subject and found it extremely relevant in the current climate.

Why did you enter this essay competition?

The title grabbed me - the world is talking about testing strategies to manage COVID-19 and I wanted an opportunity to educate myself further on the current testing methods, and the future ones we are working towards.

What do you hope to do in the future?

I am hoping to specialise in Intensive Care. I worked there as my first foundation job and enjoyed it a lot. Understanding the underlying pathology helped me come to terms with the complex conditions the patients presented with. I was also redeployed there during the first wave of the pandemic. 

What do you like about pathology?

I always enjoyed pathology at medical school, I felt it was the bridge to making sense of disease processes. I feel a good understanding of pathology translates into better clinical practice and improves communication with patients. 

What would you say to students who are considering entering this competition?

Go for it! It is a great way to learn more about a topic that you are interested in. 

Both of our annual essay prizes will be opening again in Spring 2022. In the meantime, you can find out more about the previous winners and read their essays on our essay competitions page.