Mr Stephen Rudge wins the First TGG Trainer Award

The first ever Training Grades Group (TGG) Trainer Award has been awarded to Mr Stephen Rudge, Consultant Orthodontist at Liverpool University Dental Hospital and Halton General Hospital. This award, which came from an idea by members of the TGG committee, has been created as an annual award for an orthodontic trainer in recognition of their commitment, time and efforts towards the training of orthodontic trainees.

Mr Stephen Rudge has demonstrated incredible dedication to trainees in orthodontics in a career that has spanned over 30 years. It is a career in which he has achieved excellence in his clinical practice, training and research. In respect to his trainees, he always goes above and beyond the call of duty in clinical supervision and teaching. A very private man, he has always set an example that has inspired and motivated his juniors to achieve the very best with several of them achieving an MOrth Gold Medal. Mr Rudge is held in the highest esteem by his trainees and peers alike but despite this, he has always remained humble, friendly and an approachable trainer.

The TGG Trainer Award is open to any orthodontist involved in the teaching and training orthodontic trainees in the UK. This may include academic university based staff, hospital consultants, staff grades, clinical assistants and part-time specialist practice based demonstrators who may teach trainees in a Hospital environment.It is also open to supervisors of research projects as long as the supervisor is an orthodontist.

The selection method of the award, which was only recently approved by the BOS Scholarships and Grants Committee, is designed in a way that allows any trainer across the country to be considered equally as long as they are nominated by the trainees in their local unit.

The TGG committee has developed a network of representatives (reps) in all the training units across the UK.The reps are often Specialist Registrars who volunteer to work alongside the TGG committee to disseminate information and feedback training issues to the committee. The process of selecting the award winner starts with the reps in every region consulting with their colleagues for the nomination of suitable candidates for the award.An application form is completed by each regional rep summarising why they feel their nominee deserves the award. All the final nominees are then considered on their merits by the TGG committee and all committee members vote on their choice of a winner. The nominee with the highest votes is declared the recipient of the award for that year.

This year as it was the first time we awarded this prize, it was extremely difficult to decide on a winner due to a large number of excellent trainers nominated by the regional reps. All of the nominees have contributed immensely towards orthodontic training. However, the final decision by the TGG committee was unanimous. Mr Stephen Rudge best epitomised the trainer that this award was created for.

We hope that this award will help to recognise the dedication of the excellent trainers we have in our profession who passionately give so much towards orthodontic training.

Sadaf Khan and Jinesh Shah