The BSCR is the beneficiary of a major bequest from the estate of the late Bernard and Joan Marshall. The bequest is specifically intended to encourage, recognise and support the work of early career investigators, and to facilitate a keynote lecture at the annual meeting of our Society. The BSCR is indeed fortunate to receive this generous gift which will be used to support:
The history of the The Marshall Awards
Bernard and Joan Marshall were the uncle and aunt of Professor David Hearse from the Rayne Institute, St Thomas' Hospital in London. In 1970, David returned from a post-doctoral fellowship at New York University Medical Centre and embarked upon his career in cardiovascular research. Working alone and feeling rather isolated, David regularly met up with Keith Gibson from the Cardiothoracic Institute to discuss their research. At that time, the British Cardiac Society did not admit basic scientists and so, believing that there were other researchers in need of a discussion forum, David and Keith set up the 'Cardiac Muscle Research Group'. Expecting no more than 20 attendees, they were amazed to have almost 100 at the Group's first meeting. The Cardiac Muscle Research Group went on to become the BSCR.
David Hearse with Bernard and Joan Marshall
Bernard and Joan Marshall were always fascinated by David's research and his commitment to training young investigators and creating multi-disciplinary research groups. After serving in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, Bernard Marshall married Joan and joined the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, working in various parts of the UK and progressing to a very senior level. Among his activities was membership of the team responsible for building the Thames Barrier. In the latter part of his career Bernard and Joan lived in Reading and in 1981, after his retirement, Bernard embarked upon several new careers, firstly setting up the Tenant Farmer's Association and becoming its first Director General. In 1987 he took an appointment at the University of Reading as an Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Agricultural Strategy, where for 10 years he organised various projects and national conferences. During that period, he and David often exchanged tips and suggestions on meeting venues, the organisation of academic meetings and the challenges of research. It was on such an occasion that Bernard and Joan discussed with David the possibility that part of their estate might be bequeathed to an organisation such as the BSCR.
After his period at Reading University, Bernard, although in his 80s, embarked on yet another career handling public relations and marketing for a local herb farm and garden centre. He frequently travelled to London to meet with David and was extremely active right up until two days before his unexpected death from a myocardial infarction in March 2009. His wife Joan died in January 2005.
The Bernard and Joan Marshall Early Career Investigator Prize is awarded annually for outstanding research by an early career investigator.
The prize is intended to reward excellence in research in any area of cardiovascular biology or medicine. The winner will receive £1,500 and runners-up will each receive awards of £500.
Finalists will be required to write a review article for publication in Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy. Payment of the prize money will be contingent on acceptance of this review.
The winner will be announced during the BSCR Autumn Meeting dinner.
There are no citizenship restrictions and applications are welcome from academia and the pharmaceutical industry. Applicants must be members of the BSCR (you can apply for membership online). Previous applicants and finalists may apply but should submit a new publication or describe substantial advances to the work submitted previously. Previous winners of Marshall Prizes may not re-apply.
The ECI Prize is open to students and post-docs who are within 5 years of the award of their PhD, DPhil or MD (excluding any career breaks). Applicants should have received their higher degree from a UK institution and/or be currently working as a post-doc within the UK. They must be a member of the BSCR at the time of applying for the award.
Payment of each prize is contingent on the winner presenting a talk at that year's BSCR Autumn Meeting and submitting a review article describing their research interests for publication in a special BSCR issue of Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy and that will be featured on the BSCR website.
Please email the following four items as a single pdf attachment to the Secretary of the BSCR (Professor Carolyn Carr):
It is expected that the applicants will have taken a major role in the work, and will be either first or senior author of the paper submitted for review.
The deadline for submission is May 31st of the award year. Extended to 8th July for the 2024 round.
Please note that any unpublished material presented will be treated with the strictest confidence and that the material, whether unpublished or not, will not be published by the British Society for Cardiovascular Research, meaning that no copyright issues should arise as a consequence of entering the competition.
The Committee of the Society will shortlist up to five applications for further consideration during June each year.
The selected applicants will be asked to make short competitive presentations at the BSCR Autumn Meeting and the winner will be selected by a judging panel.
This invited lecture is given at each Autumn Meeting, supported by an endowment to the BSCR from the late Bernard and Joan Marshall and with an honorarium of £3000.
Previous award Winners
Previous winners of the BSCR Marshall prizes are listed below.
