Nottingham and UCL students win Changing Faces Essay Prize 2010
Changing Faces’ second essay prize has been won by two university students. Two awards of £500 will be presented to Ben Baker and Charles Gallaher for their interpretation of the subject ‘Coping with Disfigurement’.
Ben Baker, a medical student at the University of Nottingham, has just completed his 3rd year. His essay titled ‘Coping with Changing Faces in Adolescence’ looked at the unique challenges for adolescents with disfigurements and the interventions that may help their everyday living.
Joint winner, Charles Gallaher, is also a medical student in his 5th year at UCL (University College London) Medical School. His essay titled ‘Coping With Disfigurement: Psychosocial Mechanisms’ looked at the important and interesting theories of the psychosocial mechanisms of coping with visible difference.
Dr Richard Lansdown, Chair of the Changing Faces Research Council and of the essay judging panel, said: “Once again, the entries were of a very high standard and we are delighted that so many students have taken an interest in disfigurement.”
The prizes were awarded to the students at the Appearance Matters 4 conference in Bristol on 23 June 2010. The conference is organised by the Centre for Appearence Research, from the University of West England, Bristol.
The prize was open to under- and postgraduate students of medicine, dentistry, psychology, nursing, social work, play therapy, and professions allied to medicine (prosthetists, orthotists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists).
You can read the winning essays here:
Coping with Disfigurement Psychosocial Mechanisms by Charles Gallaher
Coping with changing faces in adolescence by Ben Graham Baker
Appearance Matters 4 is a two day conference highlighting current research and good practice around appearance-related issues including visible difference, ethics, information provison, education, the media, resilience, identity, weight, provision of care, psychosocial interventions and areas for further research.
Conference keynote speakers included Professor Alex Clarke, Royal Free Hospital London, and Professor Lina Ricciardelli, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
The Centre for Appearence Research, at the University of West of England, researches psyco-social issues around appearence and disfigurement.
