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A celebration of King's Dr Abbas Khan Awards 2020

28 April 2021

The Dr Abbas Khan Medal was established in 2015 to provide a lasting tribute to the extraordinary humanitarian contribution of King’s alumnus, Dr Abbas Khan. Dr Khan graduated in Medicine in 2006 and went on to become an Orthopaedic Surgeon. He tragically died in 2013 after he was detained for undertaking humanitarian work in Syria.

In his honour, the Dr Abbas Khan medal is awarded annually to a King’s medical student or recent graduate who has made an outstanding contribution in the service of society, either in the UK or overseas. The medal is typically awarded to someone who has shown courage in their humanitarian work and can ensure that the work will be sustained beyond their student years.

There were eight nominees for the awards, with James Frater and David King taking home the 2020 medal.

James Frater (Year 4/5)

James Frater, who is studying on King’s Extended Medical Degree Programme, was nominated for the medal for his work on tackling racial inequality and widening access to university for students from low-income African and Caribbean backgrounds.

Institutions have chosen for far too long to remain largely passive in the face of widening attainment gaps, discriminatory selection processes and curriculums that are not fit for purpose. As a Caribbean young man, when I came to university, it was a place that I didn’t feel reflected in, welcome or even considered.– James Frater, Year 4/5 Medical Student

James continued: “It’s changing, and recent events have accelerated some of the efforts. If this pandemic has shown us anything, it is that inequalities in society have literally led to the death of far too many people. We all have a responsibility to do better”.

James is the African and Caribbean Student Lead within the King’s Widening Participation department; he is Governor and the Equalities Lead at Preston Manor School; he serves as the only external member of Imperial College London’s inaugural Black Students Advisory Panel; and he also sits on the Youth Advisory Board for the BBC Children In Need's Black Futures Fund.

For his tireless commitment and consistent dedication to serving young people, James has been recognised as one of the most outstanding students in the UK by Future Leaders, Rare Recruitment and The Association of Jamaican Nationals, as well as recognition awards from the Amos Bursary, King’s and King’s Student Union. Most recently, he has been awarded the Akindolie Medical Scholarship and the prestigious Princess Diana Award 2020.

I am humbled because of the work that Dr Abbas Khan did, the person that he was and the legacy that he has now left behind. I hope I can continue to honour that legacy through the work that I do and through the lives that I aim to change. The long-term goal is to be in a position where I can positively transform healthcare and education throughout the Caribbean, starting with Jamaica.– James Frater, Year 4/5 Medical Student

David King (Year 5)

David King is a fifth-year medical student at King's and holds a BSc in Medical Anthropology from the University of Kent. He was nominated for his work toward drug policy reform and increasing access to drug science over the past decade.

'Drug policy' describes the approaches Governments take to reduce the social harms of drug abuse, and as an anthropology student, I was very interested in the relative nature of how different groups understood drug use, including its harms and its benefits.– David King, Year 5 Medical Student

David continued: "My mother had complex, treatment-resistant depression. She made many attempts on her life while I was growing up, and eventually succeeded when I was 23. This was the seed that grew into my passion to specialise in psychiatry. I have no idea whether psychedelic-assisted therapies would have made a difference to my mother's treatment, but what my experiences do bring home to me is the real-world cost of barriers to clinical research".

It became clear to David that there was not a strong evidence base underpinning many drug policy decisions, and he became more involved in working toward more systemic reform that would improve the use of evidence in policymaking, and redirect drug control strategy to focus on public health, treatment, human rights, and social support.

He is the founding President of King’s Society for Psychedelic Studies and co-directed a lecture programme in Drug Assisted Psychotherapies hosted by King’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. David is the founding President of the University of Kent (Canterbury) award-winning Psychedelics Society and is also founding Co-Director of the Breaking Convention charity, which hosts Europe’s largest academic conference on psychedelic consciousness, and a Director of the Scientific & Medical Network.

He has previously worked as a Researcher in Immunology at the National University of Singapore, a Haemodialysis Assistant for the NHS and as an assistant to Amanda Fielding at the Beckley Foundation. At Beckley, he was signatory liaison officer for a public letter signed by 60 former heads of state, Nobel laureates and public figures. He is now a part-time Director of Research at the Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group in London.

David has been involved in the organisation of conferences and lecture series, primarily on drug science, at not only King’s, but the University of Kent, University of Greenwich, National University of Singapore, and the House of Lords. He is the co-editor of several books, and author of several journal articles, book chapters, open letters, and literary pieces. His work is also cited as part of a reading list for an undergraduate programme at the University of Bath.

My work is very much armchair humanitarianism compared to the front-line efforts of others. Dr Abbas Khan was so courageous in his dedication to serving others, that I didn't feel like my own work really compared. I feel honoured that drug policy has been recognised as a humanitarian issue - it means a lot to me and will very much strengthen my resolve to serve others as best I can.– David King, Year 5 Medical Student