BSH Crucible Prize 2025 winner Georgina Santiapillai receiving award from 2024 winner Dr Lisa Jeffers
The Crucible Prize is a prestigious trainee-led initiative that recognises originality and insight in haematology, awarding 拢1000 to the winner. The 2025 theme, 鈥渉ow haematology can adapt its practice for an ageing population?鈥�, prompted thoughtful and provocative responses.
The top five abstracts were selected for oral presentation at the 65th BSH Annual Scientific Meeting in Glasgow, which welcomed a record number of attendees.
In this interview, we speak with the 2025 Crucible Prize winner, Georgina Santiapillai, about her award-winning perspective, her journey in haematology, and her advice to others entering the field.
What is your education/career background in haematology?
I am a haematology trainee within the North Central London deanery. I am currently undertaking an out-of-programme fellowship in Haemostasis and Thrombosis at the Royal Free Hospital and I have one year of training left prior to CCT.
What was your Crucible session presentation about?
The question set by this year鈥檚 Crucible Prize was on the theme of ageing and how haematology can adapt its practice for an ageing population. I felt this was an important and timely topic. Many haematological conditions are increasingly managed as chronic, relapsing鈥搑emitting illnesses, with growing numbers of treatment options and lines of therapy. But knowing when a treatment will be less burdensome than the disease itself isn鈥檛 always straightforward. We need models of care that support quality of life and minimise hospital visits. I wanted to approach the question from a different angle and chose to focus on lessons we can learn from the opposite end of life鈥檚 spectrum鈥攑aediatrics and neonatology.
What inspired the content of your presentation?
The inspiration for the talk came during a rotation in paediatric haematology at Great Ormond Street. Having trained almost entirely in adult medicine until then, I was struck by the cultural and practical differences in paediatrics鈥攖he holistic, patient-centred approach; the degree of family involvement; and the investment in community care infrastructure that makes home-based phlebotomy and outpatient antibiotic therapy routine. It made me reflect on how, in adult services, we often default to rigid processes or hospital-based care, even when they may not be in the patient鈥檚 best interest鈥攐r the budget鈥檚. These defaults can inadvertently create more burden for patients and families, while consuming resources that could be used more effectively elsewhere.
It led me to wonder whether some of the underlying mindsets in paediatrics鈥攖hinking creatively within the system, tailoring decisions to the individual rather than the protocol, and recognising that chronological and biological age are not the same鈥攎ight also help us care more wisely for older adults. Many treatment decisions in older patients require us to weigh quality of life against duration of response, yet the evidence base often excludes the very populations we鈥檙e treating. In that context, adapting trial data and making nuanced, patient-specific decisions becomes essential.
I structured the talk around five lessons that adult haematology might take from paediatrics: a mindset of considered individualisation; judicious testing to reduce harm; real investment in community care to minimise hospital visits; active inclusion of families in decision-making; and, importantly, recognising when less is more.
These principles aren't new, but I believe they鈥檙e worth revisiting in the context of an ageing population. If we鈥檙e to meet the needs of our patients without overreach or exhaustion, we need to re-think not only what we offer, but how we decide鈥攁nd for whom.
What does winning this award mean to you?
I'm really grateful. I remember watching the Crucible lectures at BSH last year and finding them thought-provoking. I鈥檇 never seen myself as someone who was good at public speaking, yet I really enjoyed the process of preparing this lecture. I鈥檓 especially thankful to the consultant who encouraged me to submit an abstract鈥攊t made all the difference.
What would your advice be for someone wanting to choose haematology as their specialism?
Talk to people鈥攏ot just trainees, but consultants too, as that鈥檚 the role you鈥檒l be stepping into. Go to the BSH education days for IMTs and get a feel for the breadth of the specialty. 萝莉少女 has many niches, and it鈥檚 worth exploring them early.
I first encountered haematology by chance during core medical training. Pathology-based specialties hadn鈥檛 featured much in my undergraduate or foundation years, but I found myself really enjoying the rotation. I had supportive consultants who encouraged me to apply, and what鈥檚 kept me engaged since is the variety鈥攖he mix of direct patient care, multidisciplinary liaison, and lab-based work is fairly unique among medical specialties.
What do you plan to do next in your haematology career?
I鈥檒l be completing my CCT next year and plan to undertake a post-CCT fellowship abroad. Living and working in another country is something I鈥檝e always wanted to do, and I鈥檓 keen to learn from a different medical culture and healthcare system. I have a strong interest in haemostasis and thrombosis and hope to deepen my expertise in this area. I also really enjoyed my paediatric rotation and would value the opportunity to expand that experience further.