A new memorial bursary has been launched in honour of a former University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) Consultant.

The Alison Brind Memorial Bursary, will provide 10 bursaries each year to healthcare professionals across the UK working with people diagnosed with, or at greater risk of liver disease.

Dr Brind, a consultant gastroenterologist, passed away in April 2024 following a battle with pancreatic cancer.

The bursary is funded through money raised by Alison and her family.

Alison's brother, Richard Brind, said: "Alison dedicated her life to improving care for people with liver disease.

"She believed passionately that with the right support and the right conversations, many cases of serious liver disease can be prevented.

"This bursary is a way of continuing her work, helping other healthcare professionals develop the skills she valued so much and supporting patients in the way Alison always did. We are incredibly proud to honour her legacy in this way."

The bursary will pay for a certified online course in 'motivational interviewing', a method of counselling that helps people make positive changes to lifestyle factors that affect liver health such as alcohol use, diet and exercise.

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The scheme is open to professionals working in both acute hospital settings and community-based services, including drug and alcohol support organisations. 

UHNM, which runs Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital, Stafford, explained that priority will be given to applicants working in Staffordshire.

Vanessa Carr, liver nurse specialist, said: "Dr Alison Brind has been an inspiration to our team over the past 25 years and we continue to work in her memory.

"This bursary feels like a living legacy, it reflects exactly what Alison cared about and wanted to achieve.

"By supporting people working in addiction and liver services, it helps carry on the work she started and gives professionals the skills to reduce the risk of liver disease and make a real difference to patients' lives."

Bursaries will be awarded throughout the year by a multidisciplinary committee, with funds held by the British Liver Trust.

Further information and an application form can be found online here.