CRITERIA AND METHOD OF AWARD OF ‘DIFFICULT AIRWAY SOCIETY PROFESSOR OF ANAESTHESIA AND AIRWAY MANAGEMENT’ 2015
The application deadline for 2015 has now passed.
1. General
1.1 The award of DAS Professor of Anaesthesia is conferred in recognition of a member’s national/international standing in the field of airway management as established by outstanding contributions through publications, creative work or other appropriate forms of scholarship, and through teaching and administration. In particular, evidence is sought that the applicant has contributed to the development of the Society and taken forward the science or practice of airway management (interpreted in its broadest sense). This includes contributions in making practice safer, engaging others by collaborative research or training, and the provision of leadership and vision.
1.2 The title of DAS Professor is purely honorific, and conferred by acclamation of peers in the specialty. There are no emoluments. There is no implication that recipients should be employed by hospitals, universities or by any other body in any particular post or role by virtue of this award, or on any specific contract of employment.
1.3 DAS Professors will be invited: (a) to give an inaugural lecture to the society; (b) to give other lectures as invited; (c) to work with DAS Committee to further the subspecialty (eg, by leading on specific projects, subcommittees or guidelines, or to represent the society in various ways in national or international fora); (d) to provide professional leadership, advice and mentorship to the society and to members; (e) to work to further the cause of the subspecialty.
1.4 Indicatively, one (or exceptionally more) titles of DAS Professor may be conferred each year.
1.5 The award is open to any member of the Society, resident in the UK or abroad, who is (a) a member in good standing for >3 successive years before application (b) meets the general criteria in 1.1. above and Section 3, or (c) is allowed to apply by decision of the DAS Committee. A person who already holds a professorial title from any other institution is eligible to apply, as the DAS award is a specific and unique recognition in addition to (not replacing) other awards.
1.6 The title is a permanent one, to be held from the date of conferment (which is usually at the DAS AGM in Nov of each year). On retiring from a substantive clinical practice (ie, ceasing to hold a valid revalidation or licence to practice) or academic post (ie, reaching the upper limit of the UK State Pension Age, currently 68) a DAS Professor will become Emeritus DAS Professor. Thus a person who has already ceased clinical or academic practice defined in this way is ineligible to apply.
1.7 It is not normally expected that sitting members of DAS Committee apply for the award, and those who act as referee for any other application should not apply in the same year they act as referee.
2. Application
2.1 DAS will make a general announcement each year inviting applications, with a specified deadline
2.2 DAS Committee may write to specific individuals to invite an application
2.3 Applicants will be required to submit, by the stated deadline, supporting information in the domains outlined in Section 4, below.
2.4 Applicants will be asked to provide the names of six supporting medically-qualified referees*, from whom one or more will be asked to provide statements confirming that the candidate meets the criteria outlined in 1.1. The referees should themselves have held a registration as a specialist or a substantive consultant appointments or equivalent for >10 years, and/or hold/held a title of professor, or be sufficiently senior that in the opinion of DAS Committee they themselves might fulfil the criteria outlined in 1.1. One referee will be selected from the applicant’s host institute; one must be from a different institute in the same country; the third must be from a different country. (For these purposes, the devolved nations of the UK do not count as separate countries). Individuals who are retired may act as referees. However, a referee may not themselves apply in the same year for a DAS Professorship.
*this applies also non-medically qualified applicants.
3. Selection
3.1 In addition to selecting from the referees outlined in 2.4, DAS Committee will obtain references from further referees. Referees’ comments will form part of any feedback to applicants.
3.2 It is difficult to be proscriptive, but indicatively, at least some of the following criteria will be expected for a successful application:
3.2.1 Holding a substantive NHS consultant post (or academic equivalent) for >10 years and/or already holding the title of professor, senior lecturer or distinguished fellowship from another institution such as a university, or other professional society.
Non-medically qualified applicants need to have held a senior post for >10 years and generally be considered to undertake activities reflective at least of a senior lecturer grade.
3.2.2 For UK consultants, holding a Clinical Excellence Award; indicatively level 5 or greater and especially national-level awards will be contributory. Non-UK consultants should demonstrate similar official recognitions from established local or national schemes.
Non-medically qualified applicants may submit similar distinction awards, if available, or provide relevant evidence of academic or professional promotions or recognitions.
3.2.3 senior organisational roles in national or international professional societies, or in the NHS (or health systems of their countries) , in universities or other academic institutions (this might include senior NHS managerial roles, or College Tutor or Regional Advisor responsibilities)
3.2.4 roles in the oversight or support of scholarly activity in the specialty (eg, examining at all levels from undergraduate to postgraduate, work for grant-giving bodies, biomedical charities, editorial work for journals, ethics committee work, development of guidelines)
3.2.5 representation on national or international committees overseeing or reviewing specialist or healthcare-related activities (eg, government committees, national audits such as NCEPOD or NAP, work for healthcare organisations such as WHO, UNESCO, etc)
3.2.6 a track record of publications with impact (eg, judged by bibliometric analysis such as h-index of >10), or in influential texts of books or book chapters
3.2.7 dissemination of high quality teaching or training (eg, through skills courses or simulators), or which may include establishing programs of education in the UK or abroad
3.2.8 inventions or equipment development, including collaborations with industry
3.2.9 supporting the subspecialty through grant raising activities, which may be academic/research grants or charitable fundraising or industry sponsorship
3.3 DAS Committee will, after considering all the materials, make a recommendation and invite feedback from DAS membership so that the DAS Annual General Meeting may ratify each decision for award of DAS Professor.
4. Application form
4.1 Applications must be made on the standard application form which will be issued by DAS.
4.2 Forms without the necessary information will be returned, causing delay in the processing of applications), or at worst be judged ineligible applications:
5. Process and Feedback
5.1 All applicants will be ranked by decision of DAS Committee and referee consultation.
5.2 Unsuccessful candidates will receive feedback which should indicate to them, in general terms: either
5.2.1 Their application will likely be successful in future years with some continued effort and achievement; OR
5.2.2 Their application will only be successful with significantly increased effort or achievement in specified domains; OR
5.2.3 Re-application in the near future is unlikely to be successful on an estimate of the evidence provided
5.3 Unsuccessful candidates should indicate if they wish their applications to be considered in the following year, up to a maximum of 3 successive years. Unsuccessful candidates may submit a fresh application with a different set of referees.
5.4 The decision of DAS Committee (and presented at the Annual Members Meeting) is final and there will be no appeals, except on grounds of process (eg, failure to process an application or fraud).
6. Review and Withdrawal of award
6.1 The title of DAS Professor is held permanently, from the DAS Annual Members Meeting at which the election is formally made. Successful applicants may use the pronominal ‘Professor’ and if they wish, post-nominal ‘DAS Professor’.
6.2 DAS Professors are automatically eligible, separately, to sit on the Faculty of Professors of the International Anaesthesia Societies (DAS/SAM/EAMS).
6.3 The title may be withdrawn from an individual by decision of DAS Committee, if the holder brings the society or profession into disrepute. Examples of such actions would be: erasure from the General Medical Council register (or its nursing, ODP, or foreign equivalent); criminal conviction; scientific fraud; failure to pay the relevant DAS subscription.
The application deadline for 2015 has now passed
