HRA’S DR MICHAEL TURNER HONOURED FOR MEDICAL SERVICE TO SPORT
Published: Wednesday 29 Nov 2006
Dr Michael Turner, the Horseracing Regulatory Authority’s Chief Medical Adviser, has been awarded the Institute of Sports Medicine’s Robert Atkins Award for ‘consistently valuable medical service to sport’.
Tony Goodhew, the HRA’s Director of Racecourse Licensing and Standards who oversees the Medical Department, said:
“This award is due recognition for Michael’s tireless work not only in racing but also in sport overall. Our Medical Department is small and doesn’t register on racing’s radar as much as, for example, the Disciplinary or Security teams, but since Michael arrived in 1993 he has driven up medical standards and brought in major developments which are the envy of other turf authorities and many other sports.
“By way of example, soon after he was appointed he introduced the 60-second rule, which is the time set for a doctor or paramedic to reach an injured jockey on the racecourse. Since then he has been involved in numerous and diverse advances from the design of jockeys’ back protectors and helmets to the availability of nutritional advice and physiotherapists on the racecourse.
“Most recently, Michael has introduced a concussion management system which means that following a concussive incident, the length of suspension is now clinically evaluated rather than relying on a fixed period of suspension relating to the time the jockey was unconscious. Gone are the days of a fixed 21 days off for a jockey after concussion, so often the bain of a jump jockey’s working life.
“Whilst being a firm regulator, Michael is respected within racing as working in their long term interests of jockeys and is proactive in his work to protect their welfare.”
28th November 2006
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
1. Dr Michael Turner MB BS MRCS LRCP MD(USA) served as a junior Doctor in London and Canada prior to working in occupational medicine as Chief Medical Adviser to several major international companies.
2. Dr Turner’s current work is divided between the HRA and the Lawn Tennis Association.
3. Dr Turner has served as the British Ski Team doctor at several Winter Olympic Games and has been a trustee of the British Olympic Medical Centre. He is also a World Class Adviser for UKSport, Treasurer of the British Association of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Member and co-ordinator of Medical Advisers to Professional Sports and a member of the International Federation of Sports Medicine. In 1994 he won the British Olympic Association’s Desborough Award for services to Olympic sport.
