The Irish Times journalist Sylvia Thompson was named Medical Journalist of the Year at an award ceremony in Dublin yesterday.
Nine other journalists from print, broadcast and electronic media received awards from David Byrne, Special Envoy to the World Health Organisation and former EU commissioner for health.
Dearbhail McDonald of the Sunday Times was named Young Irish Medical Journalist of the Year. She was presented with a Séamus Gill sculpture and a cheque for €2,000. This was the fourth year of the awards, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, which were initiated to acknowledge excellence in medical and health journalism.
Ms Thompson received the overall award for work published in The Irish Times Health Supplement. The judges praised her "informative journalism, thoroughness of research, clarity of language and her instinct for identifying the most important part of the story". She received a silver sculpture and a €3,500 cheque.
Ms McDonald's citation noted her "consistently balanced and in-depth reporting on public health policies".
The professional medical media news award went to June Shannon of Medicine Weekly. Michelle McDonagh of the Connacht Tribune received the regional media award. Keelin Shanley and Judy Kelly Of RTÉ's Primetime took the consumer broadcast award, while Eilish O'Regan and Justine McCarthy of the Irish Independent shared the award for consumer print media.