Professor K Ray Chaudhuri has been awarded the 2015 Andrew Wilson award for services to people suffering from Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) by RLS:UK, also known as the Ekbom society.
Professor Chaudhuri said: ‘
“I am delighted to have been awarded this prize, and hope that the work being done by RLS:UK under the leadership of Daragh Brogan will advance the recognition, research and management of this condition, a cause of sleepless nights, anxiety disorder and fatigue for over 3 million people in the UK alone.”
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), now known as the Willis-Ekbom disease, is one of the most common causes of sleep issues for patients and can be disabling, but it is still widely under-recognised. Professor Chaudhuri has been responsible for a broad range of initiatives supporting the cause and care of RLS in the UK. He set up the educational academic group RLS:UK in 2000, which became the first and only patient charity for RLS in the UK in 2010. He has led several trials, as well as managed the only dedicated RLS clinic at Kings College Hospital. His team also offers a specific RLS remote advice service with a monthly telephone clinic service.
Professor Chaudhuri has conducted extensive research into the causes and treatment of RLS. He has published an Oxford University Press book which he co-authored with world experts Professor David Rye and Professor Luigi Ferrini-Strambi, soon to be released in its second edition. He is also leading a world-first National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) portfolio adopted study addressing non-motor symptoms of RLS.
The award was presented to Professor K Ray Chaudhuri and the general practitioner Dr Julian Spinks by Daragh Brogan, the Chief Executive of RLS:UK. The prize is voted for by the Trustees of RLS:UK based on contribution to care and research in the field.
