Two researchers who have highlighted the importance of accurate data in healthcare have been shortlisted for this year’s John Maddox Prize for standing up for science.
Professor Alice Sullivan, from University College London, has been nominated for her two-part review into data collection which warned that the conflation of sex and gender by the NHS and other public bodies undermines the ability deliver safe and appropriate services, monitor inequalities and carry out reliable research.
Clarity
She called for clarity and recommended that both sex and gender identity be collected and clearly distinguished. However this prompted criticism from some groups — one of the criteria considered by judges for the prestigious international prize which is presented by Nature magazine and the charity Sense About Science.
Letby case
Another finalist is the British-Dutch mathematician, probability theorist and statistician Richard Gill. His analysis of flaws in the statistical evidence led to the exoneration of paediatric nurse Lucia du Berk, whose conviction paralleled several aspects of the Lucy Letby case.
He has said, “I’m not saying that I know that Lucy Letby is innocent. As a scientist, I am saying that this case is a major miscarriage of justice. Lucy did not have a fair trial. The similarities with the famous case of Lucia de Berk in the Netherlands are deeply disturbing.”
The winner of the John Maddox Prize will be announced on October 29.