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Winner of the 2022 Rosalind Franklin Essay Prize announced

Oct 25, 2022

2 min



  • Aston Medical School students compete for prestigious prize in essay writing competition
  • Prize launched in honour of the renowned chemist, Rosalind Franklin
  • This year’s theme is ‘Are there limits to freedom of expression in a medical school?’


The winner of this year’s Aston Medical School Rosalind Franklin Essay Prize has been announced as Shoheb Hassan, a 3rd year medical student.


The annual essay writing competition is held in memory of the pioneering chemist Rosalind Franklin who was a chemist and X-ray crystallographer. Rosalind’s work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA: RNA, viruses, coal and graphite.


The theme of this year’s competition was ‘Are there limits to freedom of expression in a medical school?’ The essays submitted were a reflective and personal perspective on freedom of expression within a medical school.


This year’s winner Shoheb Hassan said: “I am so pleased and honoured to be awarded first prize. I sincerely enjoyed reflecting on the topic about freedom of expression in a medical school. I express my gratitude to Dr Daniel Franklin for this opportunity and I hope that upcoming students will benefit from their reflections just as much as I did.”


Aston Medical School's Rosalind Franklin Essay Prize was conceived and funded by Dr Daniel Franklin in 2020. Daniel is a nephew of Rosalind Franklin and an alumnus of Aston University, graduating twice: once in 1981 with a PhD and again in 2013, when he was awarded an honorary degree.


The judging panel included Daniel and staff from Aston Medical School.

Daniel, who has been executive editor of The Economist since 2003, said:
"Once again, the quality of the essays produced by Aston Medical School students was truly impressive and reflects their ability to reflect deeply and imaginatively about matters of medical education."


The winning essay receives a prize of £750 and the runner up is awarded £250.

For more information about Aston Medical School please visit our website.


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