Trauma care pioneer wins prestigious award

A doctor who has played a vital role in shaping emergency trauma care in hospitals across the country and internationally has won a prestigious award.

Dr Rod Mackenzie, 57, is a senior consultant in emergency medicine and pre-hospital emergency medicine at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

He was awarded the 2025 Trauma Care Fellowship Award for his dedication to advancing trauma care as well as his leadership within system development and training across the UK and abroad for the past 30 years.

Dr Mackenzie said it was a "real honour" and "humbling" to join the other previous winners.

"It's in equal parts humbling and embarrassing in many respects," he told the BBC.

"I speak for all of us working in emergency medicine, we don't do what we do for a reward like that and we're often just getting on with things in the background."

He said medical teams "like to squirrel away and get back to doing what we do".

Dr Mackenzie stressed that the work he had been commended for was a "team effort" which could not have been achieved without his colleagues.

The award is bestowed by a board of trustees from Trauma Care UK and was established in 2020 to recognise "exceptional contributions to trauma victim care".

Dr Mackenzie has previously been described as the architect of the East of England Trauma Network - a small team that works with healthcare commissioners to monitor the effectiveness of major trauma centres and acute hospital trauma units.

He said he felt "lucky" to have influenced the design of this network which "translates to saving lives and reducing suffering, and that's amazing".

Dr Mackenzie reflecting on his work said it had been a "privilege to help people who are at arguably their greatest time of need".

"Helping people when they really need it is what's always driven me, I've always been involved in emergency healthcare and that is still central to everything I do," he added.

He stressed his work also ensured future patients were getting the best possible care.

While the award is for lifetime achievement, Dr Mackenzie said he was not done with his work just yet.

"We're doing some amazing work both in terms of continuing to improve our systems and processes, but also some of the research work we're doing not just in terms of care but in terms of understanding how to prevent injury and prevent major trauma," he said.

"There's lots to do so I'm going to be around for a while."

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