William Holme, a dentist with a special interest in endodontics, shares his experience of winning the British Endodontic Society (BES) 2024 Aspiring Endodontic Researcher award, the impact it has had on him, and his advice for others who are thinking of applying:
“I was very pleasantly surprised to hear that I have been awarded the Aspiring Endodontic Researcher award from the BES for 2024 which was amazing! It all started because, as part of my masters in endo at UCLan, I completed a systematic review. After I graduated, my course lead, Shalini Kanagasingam, said ‘why don’t you put your dissertation forwards for one of the BES prizes?’
“To be honest, I hadn’t even looked up until that point at what the prizes were, and I definitely wouldn’t have thought a research prize is anything I would’ve had a chance with – I’m not from an academic background and I don’t have a history of research. But, when I looked at the criteria, it’s actually suitable for people who aren’t involved in academia. So, I submitted my application and, a few months later, I received an email letting me know I’d won! This was brilliant and I really didn’t expect it.
“It’s a great thing to add to your CV, and it’s a nice little confidence boost as well. I think a lot of us suffer from imposter syndrome, and think that we don’t have a chance with things like this, so it was great for me in that sense. The win also came with some prize money which is always a bonus.
“If I had to give advice to anybody in the BES, no matter what stage of your career you’re at, it’s this: if you don’t apply, you don’t have a chance. It wasn’t scary, hard, or daunting to apply for this award. It’s a great confidence boost if you win one, and even if you don’t win, applying is still valuable and should encourage you to keep applying year on year – it’s definitely something I’ll be keeping an eye on.”
For more information about the BES, or to join, please visit the website www.britishendodonticsociety.org.uk or call 07762945847
