Neil and Gina Smith Student of the Year Award 2009

Sam Creavin

SOYA Sam Creavin Keele University is delighted to announce that the 2009 winner of the prestigious Neil and Gina Smith Student of the Year Award is Sam Creavin, a 24-year-old student from East Sussex who is the first in his family to go to university.

Sam achieved a Masters degree (MPhil) at the same time as his undergraduate studies in Medicine, the first student at Keele to achieve this.  He performed particularly well academically, gaining “Best Overall Performance” in every progress test over the last four years. He has had work from his MPhil accepted for publication and has presented at conferences nationally and internationally.

In addition to his strong academic performance, Sam has contributed both to Keele and to the wider community in an extensive range of extracurricular activities. 

He has been involved with Keele Marrow, a charity devoted to the development of bone marrow donation; he worked with the British Heart Foundation’s “Heartstart” programme, teaching basic life support in the local community; and he was the founding chairman of Medsin Keele, which included the implementation of a “Teddy Bear Hospital”, involving four local schools in a project in which young children are encouraged to have confidence in dealing with health professionals at the same time as simple public health messages are promoted.

In 2007, Sam organised a charity fun run, raising £500 for medical charities, and he has been a leader at a children’s summer camp in Buckinghamshire and a helper at Smiles Foundation, a non-governmental organisation in Romania. 

Sam, who will start work as a junior doctor in Bristol in July, said: “I'm very grateful to have been given so many opportunities while at university and am honoured to win this award.”

A Keele University spokesman said: “Sam impressed the interview panel with his academic achievements, his energy and his drive and commitment to making a lasting contribution to both the local and the wider community. He is an extremely deserving winner of the Neil and Gina Smith Award who will be an excellent ambassador for Keele University.”

Photo: Sam Creavin