Two doctors at Sheffield Teaching Hospital have received awards for their research.
Dr Marian Schini, who is a consultant at the Metabolic Bone Centre (MBC) at Northern General and Dr Lorenza Mattia, who is a visiting clinical fellow at Sheffield Teaching Hospital, have won awards for their research on osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens the bones, therefore making them more fragile and likely to break.
Both doctors have been awarded the Young Investigator Award by the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and will be presenting their work virtually at next month’s annual meeting.
Besides her work in the MBC, Dr Schini is a clinical research fellow at the University of Sheffield.
Her work is related to treatment with zoledronic acid, which is a medication that can help lower the risk of hip and vertebral fractures.
A review by the Medicines Safety Committee shows that her work could enable more patients to have treatments with said medication which will reduce their risk of fracture.
The use of this medication would aid everyday practice both across the rest of the country and internationally.
Dr Mattia’s work investigating a type of drug called bisphosphonate has also been acknowledged.
Her work has demonstrated that patients who were monitored with a blood test are more likely to have better outcomes in regards to bone density or in their decision to switch treatments if the medication was ineffective.
She said: “We are very proud that to have been recognised for this work, which we hope will lead to improved treatments and outcomes for patients with osteoporosis both here in Sheffield but also nationally and internationally.”
