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LSE Health's Lifetime Achievement Awards

Celebrating Excellence in Health Policy and Public Health

LSE Health is committed to recognising individuals whose work has shaped the fields of health policy, social welfare, and public health. To honour this legacy, we offer two distinguished Lifetime Achievement Awards: the Brian Abel-Smith Award and the Walter Holland Award. While each reflects the unique contributions of its namesake - Abel-Smith in health policy and social welfare, Holland in public health - both share a common purpose: to celebrate those whose research and policy impact have improved health outcomes on a global scale.

At a time when health systems face unprecedented challenges and the need for evidence-based policy is greater than ever, these awards highlight the enduring importance of combining intellectual excellence with real-world influence.

About the Awards

These biennial awards recognise outstanding individuals whose work reflects the legacies of Brian Abel-Smith and Walter Holland. Each award honours a distinct contribution while sharing a commitment to research excellence and real-world impact.

  • Brian Abel-Smith Lifetime Achievement Award
    Recognises individuals who have made a significant intellectual contribution to health policy and social welfare and achieved notable policy impact, benefitting population health.
  • Walter Holland Lifetime Achievement Award
    Recognises individuals who have made a significant intellectual contribution to public health and demonstrated tangible impact on population health or influence on health policies at global, regional and local scale.

Both awards place equal emphasis on research excellence and policy or practice impact, echoing the achievements of their namesakes. Each prize carries a £10,000 award, and recipients deliver an award lecture at LSE.

Eligibility Criteria

Nominees for either award can be academics, practitioners, or policy makers, with a minimum of 25 years of professional experience. They may be retired or still working. Current LSE salaried staff cannot be nominated, but may submit nominations.

Brian Abel-Smith Award nominees must demonstrate:

  • A significant body of intellectual work in welfare policy, health policy, health economics or health services research
  • Tangible impact on policy or health care delivery

View the Brian Abel-Smith Award nomination guidelines.

Walter Holland Award nominees must demonstrate:

  • A significant body of intellectual work in public health or health services research
  • Tangible impact on population health or influence on health policies at global, regional or local scale

View the Walter Holland Award nomination guidelines.

Making a nomination

To nominate an individual for either award:

  • Download and complete the nomination form
  • Submit it to lse_health@lse.ac.uk by 5pm on Friday 13 February 2026

Winners will be announced in the first week of March 2026.

For further details or queries, please contact lse_health@lse.ac.uk.

Make a donation

The Brian Abel-Smith and Walter Holland Memorial Fund is a charitable objective of the LSE, which is itself an educational charity. This status enables UK donors to increase the value of their gifts by making a covenant to the Fund, or by giving a single sum under Gift Aid.

In the USA donations may be made through the Second Centennial Fund, Inc (a Section 501 (c)(3) organisation), with a recommendation as to their application.

If you would like to request further information contact LSE Philantrophy and Global Engagement (PAGE):

Email: regulargiving@lse.ac.uk

Or write to:
Brian Abel-Smith Memorial Fund
LSE Philantrophy and Global Engagement (PAGE)
Houghton Street
London WC2A 2AE (UK)