Clinical Photographer wins prestigious Wellcome Image Award
Operational Service Manager for Clinical Photography and Medical Illustration and Staff Governor (Other Clinical) Geraldine Thompson, is one of 20 winners in the prestigious Wellcome Image awards.
Her winning photo is the image of an interactive multi-sensory unit – approximately 5 ft tall and inclusive of a bubble tube, fibre optic lights, mirrors, a solar projector and the capability of producing sound. It plays an important role in providing a distraction for anxious children undergoing serious procedures at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and is on display as part of the international Wellcome Image exhibition at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry.
Geraldine’s winning photo: ‘voyager’ mobile sensory unit, which plays an important role in providing a distraction for anxious children undergoing serious procedures at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital
Geraldine is also one of 1200 Stem Ambassadors associated with the museum, helping to inspire young people across greater Manchester about science, technology, engineering and maths.
When asked about the competition Geraldine said, “I am so very thrilled that one of my images has been selected by Wellcome and will be going on display nationally and specifically at the Museum of Science & Industry, my favourite science museum. It is so important that the public are given opportunities to explore and gain a better understanding of the vital work we do as clinical photographers such as aid with medical research, safeguarding and trauma. As our motto states, “Images surpass word”. This exhibition will fully encapsulate this and enable visitors of all ages to explore not just my work but real life science as never seen before.”
Encased in light boxes, all 20 illuminating images will be displayed in the Museum of Science & Industry’s original First Class waiting room – part of the oldest surviving passenger railway station in the world. Also on display for the first time will be a scanning electron micrograph of a greenfly’s eye; a clinical photograph of an elderly lady’s curved spine; an illustration of pollen grains and a micrograph showing drug-carrying particles in the lungs of a mouse.
Head of Exhibitions at the Museum of Science & Industry Rachel Knight comments, “We are delighted once again to be working collaboratively with the Wellcome Trust. As a leading venue for science, we feel very privileged to play a continued and significant part of the Trust’s UK-wide Image Awards exhibition. It is also fantastic that one of this year’s winners has come from Manchester. It enables us to shine a bigger spotlight on this great city of scientific discovery.”
All 20 images were selected by seven judges from all the thousands acquired by the Wellcome Images picture library. An overall winner will be announced at an awards ceremony on the 18th March 2015 – the day before the exhibition opens at theMuseum of Science & Industry and at other selected venues across the UK.
