Professor John Wass Research Grant Winner 2026 The ADSHG is proud to present the winners of the 2026 Professor John Wass Research Grant! This £10,000 grant is open to applicants undertaking research that stimulates innovation or best practice in emergency medicine relating to adrenal insufficiency and adrenal crisis. The grant is named after Professor John Wass of Oxford University, long time collaborator, Chair of our Clinical Advisory Panel and good friend of the charity. 2026's Grant Winners Congratulations go to Dr Punith Kempegowda and Dr Amanda Ling from the University of Birmingham, who submitted a research proposal matching the grant's specialist criteria, and focusing on adrenal crisis management in UK hospitals. Dr Punith Kempegowda Punith is an Assistant Professor and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy at the University of Birmingham. He is also a consultant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham with special interest in reproductive endocrinology and acute diabetes. His research interests are in providing best possible care to people with diabetes and endocrine conditions and developing innovative and evidence-based programmes to teach and learn from each other. He is the chair for SIMBA which provides simulation-based learning opportunities and Chair for CoMICs which creates short evidence-based videos on various medical topics, including Addison's disease! He is also the lead for DEKODE, a multicentre cloud-based quality improvement programme for diabetes-related emergencies and PMOS SEVa, a multicentre programme aimed at understanding and improving models of care in PMOS. In his spare time, he is an avid traveller, an ardent movie-goer and a passionate foodie - none of the three even slightly exaggerated if you follow him on his social media. Dr Amanda Ling Amanda is a clinician–researcher driven by curiosity, collaboration, and a commitment to improving real-world healthcare through meaningful, patient-centred research. Her work focuses on the intersection between clinical practice, data insight, and implementation science — particularly in endocrine and metabolic emergencies such as adrenal crisis and severe hyponatraemia.Currently, she is involved in several national NHS initiatives, including RESCUE and DEKODE, where she coordinates multi-centre studies, develops research methodologies, and works alongside consultants, centre leads, and patient groups to co-design solutions that enhance clinical practice. She also leads Patient and Public Involvement (PPIE) activities and contributes to ethics submissions, grant applications, and academic publications within her implementation network. The Winning Study: RESCUE (Rapid Evaluation and Surveillance of Critical Urgencies in Endocrinology): The Adrenal Crisis Study Adrenal crisis constitutes a life-threatening endocrine emergency that is largely preventable with timely recognition and appropriate management. While the 2024 release of NICE clinical guidelines on adrenal insufficiency represents a critical step forward, there remains a significant need to understand how these guidelines are implemented in routine practice. Delayed diagnosis, inappropriate management, and preventable adverse outcomes - including fatalities - persist. Although local audits offer some insights, they are insufficient in scope and consistency to provide the comprehensive, high-resolution data necessary for meaningful analysis at both national and international levels. This restricts our ability to determine the effectiveness of current guidelines, assess variations in clinical practice across settings, or identify targeted strategies for improvement. The RESCUE (Rapid Evaluation and Surveillance of Critical Urgencies in Endocrinology) study seeks to address these critical gaps through an integrated, national surveillance and quality improvement programme. The design and implementation of an adrenal crisis surveillance model is a key part of the study: a scalable, cloud-based platform for the pseudonymised collection of clinical data (where personal information that has identifying details has been replaced with artificial identifiers) across multiple NHS sites. This model will facilitate real-time benchmarking, highlight institutional and regional variations, and inform the development of predictive tools to support clinical decision-making and resource planning. The RESCUE study also recognises an urgent need for robust, evidence-informed educational interventions for patients. Variability in the knowledge and confidence of both patients and healthcare providers concerning the prevention and management of adrenal crises is a recognised barrier to optimal care. Few existing educational approaches are underpinned by behavioural or implementation science, and most lack rigorous evaluation of their impact on clinical confidence, competence, or outcomes. Leveraging the SIMBA (Simulation via Instant Messaging for Bedside Application) and CoMICs (Concise Medical Information Cines) platforms, we will co-create and evaluate tailored educational modules for patients, their carers and clinicians. Grounded in behavioural science and implementation theory, these modules will be rigorously assessed using validated tools to measure improvements in knowledge, self-efficacy, and clinical behaviour. Through the RESCUE initiative, we aim to establish a national learning health system for adrenal crisis care—integrating real-time surveillance, stakeholder engagement, and continuous professional and patient education. By addressing unwarranted variation, enhancing clinical confidence, and empowering patients, RESCUE seeks to improve health outcomes and strengthen the resilience of the healthcare system for individuals living with adrenal insufficiency. Support from Professor John Wass "This is a vital project because so many people with adrenal failure have difficulties in A&E with getting amongst other things urgent hydrocortisone. This grant will likely increase understanding of this vital period for people with the adrenal insufficiency " Next steps To hear more about the RESCUE: Adrenal Crisis Study, come along to our online AGM on Sat 4 July 2026. We are delighted to welcome Dr Kempegowda and Dr Ling to the event, to share their progress on the study and to answer questions from the audience. We will look forward to hearing from them as the study continues, and will share the outcomes and recommendations with our members through our monthly member emails, our bi-annual 'Keeping You Posted' newsletters and bi-annual magazines. Join our charity to receive these updates! Applying for the Professor John Wass Research Grant All grant applications received by the ADSHG go through an evaluation process by a sub-committee of the board of trustees, and are marked against pre-determined eligibility criteria. For further information on eligibility for this grant or others, and for all the ways that the ADSHG can support researchers, including patient engagement and letters of support, please visit our Research page. ADSHG Supports Research into adrenal insufficiency Thank you to our members, fundraisers and donors: your support allows us to commit to awarding annual financial grants such as this one, that directly impact the future care of people with all types of adrenal insufficiency, including Addison's disease. Together, we will improve the lives of those with Addison's disease and adrenal insufficiency! Connect on social media! Follow us on X/Twitter, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok and YouTube Manage Cookie Preferences