New Award 2022: The Gordon McVie Award for reporting cancer research

The Medical Journalists’ Association is proud and delighted to announce a new category in this year’s awards. It is for cancer and cancer research journalism in honour of medical oncologist Professor Gordon McVie, who died in January last year.

Gordon was a familiar face in the British media and a tremendous friend to medical journalists, enthusing over the prospects of defeating cancer and renowned as a master of the soundbite. He was always willing to explain the most complex of stories with an unerring ability to describe the most technical aspects of medicine in 15 seconds.

He joined the now superseded Cancer Research Campaign (CRC) as scientific director in 1989 and seven years later became its director. Gordon was passionate in his support of the CRC and a tireless champion of cancer research using every opportunity to publicise the UK charity and its scientific and medical work.

He helped push through policies that transformed the organisation of cancer care and clinical research, and greatly increased participation rates in cancer clinical trials. His argument supporting the case that the quality of patient care is better in centres that were involved in clinical research helped to persuade the government under Tony Blair to invest in modern facilities and equipment.

He played pivotal roles in oncology drug development, and was an international “fixer,” bringing together oncology experts from across the globe.

In 2002, as director general of the CRC, together with Paul Nurse, who led ICRF, he championed the merger of the two charities to form Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the largest charity in the world funding cancer research.

We are delighted to have the support of Gordon’s widow Claudia for this award given in his name who says “He was such an amazing man and I miss him every day and celebrations of his achievements mean so much to me and the family.”

This award is now open for entry.

With thanks to Roche who are supporting this new award in 2022, our principal Awards’ sponsors Bristol Myers Squibb, returning sponsors, Christine Webber, Edelman and Medtronic, and new MJA supporters Leigh Day, Real Chemistry and Yakult.