Bishop’s Stortford paediatrician Dr Vanessa Sinthuraj wins national PAFTA award

A Bishop’s Stortford children’s doctor won a national PAFTA – a Paediatric Award for Training Achievements.

Dr Vanessa Sinthuraj, 30, who works at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and previously worked at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, clinched the title of Senior Trainee of the Year from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in London.

The medic, who has also completed stints at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford and in King’s Lynn, was nominated for her work as a paediatric registrar at Mid and South Essex NHS Trust’s Basildon Hospital. She was a respiratory SPIN trainee, which means she completed a Special Interest (SPIN) module in paediatric respiratory medicine.

Dr Sinthuraj, who married accountant husband Raj and moved to Stortford in 2020, said: “I am incredibly honoured and overjoyed to have won the national PAFTA award.

“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the amazing team at Basildon, who kindly nominated me. Despite the hectic shifts, they always work like a close-knit family, going the extra mile for their patients and caring for their junior doctors.

“I feel privileged to be a part of this brilliant profession, where I meet incredible patients with their families and witness the multi-disciplinary team making a difference. I owe my success to my wonderful colleagues who have taught and inspired me throughout my training.”

Dr Sinthuraj, who was born in Ilford and educated at Woodford County High School for Girls, studied medicine at St George’s, University of London and qualified in 2017.

Dr Emma Dyer, chair of the trainee committee, who was part of the judging panel, said: “The passion and dedication to paediatrics and the children and young people that we serve is truly inspiring.”