Professor Deborah Bowman wins Mentor of the Year award

Published: 13 November 2019

Professor Deborah Bowman, Deputy Principal (Institutional Affairs) and Professor of Medical Ethics at St George’s, University of London, has won Mentor of the Year at this year’s Women of the Future Awards.

Professor Bowman was recognised for her commitment to empowering students and colleagues both at St George’s and more broadly, with a sizable and growing impact across higher education, the public sector and the NHS.

As well as undertaking a variety of formal and informal mentoring arrangements, Professor Bowman has developed an ethics coaching and mentoring scheme with clinicians from a range of professions and has been awarded three Mentorship Awards by the NHS. At St George’s, Professor Bowman has played a key role in guiding the development of the University’s mentoring scheme and in developing its Future Leaders Programme.

One of four special category awards, Mentor of the Year recognises those who are mentoring the success stories of the next generation of younger women in the UK, enabling them to reach their potential in whichever path of endeavour they choose. Established with the aim of providing a platform for the pipeline of female talent in the UK, the Woman of the Future Awards were founded by Pinky Lilani CBE DL in 2006, who spoke at St George’s earlier this year as part of the University’s Athena SWAN events series.

Speaking about her nomination for Mentor of the Year, Professor Bowman said:

“I was astonished and delighted to be given this award. I know how much trust it takes to work with a colleague and I want to thank everyone who has shared their experiences, perceptions and aspirations with me over the years.

“I learned to be a mentor from many people who supported me – and continue to do so. Mentoring, whether formal or informal, named or not, is about finding the space to explore values, ideas, opportunities and possibilities. It is often transformative and I’d recommend it to everyone.”

Speaking about Deborah’s nomination, Professor Jenny Higham, Principal of St George’s, said, “I’m extremely proud of Deborah and the contribution she has made not only to St George’s, but also to the wider community.”