A University graduate is to receive a prestigious award for his work with refugee doctors.
Dr David Andrew William Ritchie will receive the President’s Medal by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, which is granted in recognition of recipients’ contributions to health, education, the economy and society.
Dr Ritchie graduated from the University in 1977 and early in his career undertook a number of general posts throughout the UK, developing an interest in immediate care. Having completed training in Emergency Medicine, he worked as a Consultant at the Victoria Infirmary in Glasgow, until it closed in 2015. He went on to work at the new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in the emergency department until he retired in 2019.
He was invited to join the Bridges Programme which helps refugees and asylum seekers find relevant and appropriate work placements and shadowing experiences in Glasgow. It does so by helping to register with the General Medical Council, ensuring medical qualifications gained overseas are verified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates and providing other forms of assistance.
There, he provides support to refugee doctors through education and advisory services to prepare them for working in the NHS.
The prestigious President's Medal from the College honours individuals for their ‘outstanding work in the community either locally, nationally or internationally’.
Dr Ritchie will receive the award at a ceremony at the University of Glasgow’s Bute Hall on Tuesday 5 September.