Congratulations to our nominated Fertility 2023 prize winners!

Rising star award winner – Zoe Barnikel

Hello, I’m Zoe and I am a second year STP trainee in reproductive science. Like many, I did not manage to get a position on the STP straight out of university, and instead took the first opportunity that came my way in the field. I started working as an embryology administrator and lab technician back in 2018 at Care Fertility. I learned huge amounts about the administrative and regulatory side of embryology and thankfully was able to become an in-service STP in 2021.

I honestly can’t say how I felt about being nominated for the ARCS Rising Star award as I had no idea I had been put forward! It had been kept completely under wraps until I received a message from a colleague at Fertility 2023 with the news that I had won. It was actually quite overwhelming as it had been such a busy year and with work and University commitments my stress levels were particularly high. It couldn’t have been better timing to have such a lovely reminder from my friends and colleagues that my contribution wasn’t unnoticed. It was such an emotional lift for me to be nominated that it also served as a great reminder for myself not to forget to show my colleagues that I value them also. I really think that it is our team spirit that carries us through when we so busy and working so hard for patients. From the day I first got the opportunity to work in fertility my motto has been to say yes to everything and anything. I truly believe that is what has allowed me to access some of the opportunities I have had and I haven’t looked back!

Claire Gillott award winner – Anna Kopakaki

I would like to thank the embryology team at the Edinburgh Fertility Centre for nominating me for the Claire Gillot Prize 2023 and the ARCS committee for awarding me. It is an honour to receive the prize.

I have been in the Embryology field for 26 years and have loved every minute of it. I feel very lucky to have found early in life a job that I enjoy doing.  I still enjoy doing a sperm prep, a difficult ICSI, an embryo transfer and seeing the positive outcomes. What I now enjoy most is passing my knowledge to new team members, teaching them new skills and being part of their journey to become competent embryologists.

I started my career at the BMI Esperance Private Hospital in Eastbourne where I trained for a couple of years and then moved to Edinburgh and have been here since 1999. I had great mentors and colleagues throughout my career and I would like to mention Ms Jane Skelton who passed on to me her embryology passion and Dr Sue Pickering who has been a great manager, leader, colleague and a true inspiration.

I do hope that I will continue to support and inspire others to be the best they can be and not to forget to enjoy what they are doing. Keep calm and keep making babies!

Many thanks again to ARCS for this honour, it has been a highlight of my career.

Unsung hero award winner – Charlene Freeman

I’m Charlene, an embryologist at Leicester Fertility Centre for over 16 years. This award was a complete surprise! I wasn’t at Fertility 2023 and my colleagues kept it a secret until the email came through. It is such an honour and one that I feel I don’t fully deserve; I just do what I can, when I can to help my patients and team. We are a team; we work best together. As a group I believe embryologists are similar people and that all of us often make small changes or sacrifices for the good of our team or patients, it just comes naturally. It has been a rough year for many reasons and this award is such a wonderful reminder that people do notice and care about the small things as well as the ground breaking advances.

The flowers that were sent were truly beautiful and the pictures do not do them justice! They had in them some Apiaceae, which is a flower I am hoping to grow in my allotment this year for picking so that made them extra special!

Many thanks to Vitrolife for sponsoring these awards. Each winner received registration, dinner and accommodation at the ARCS symposium 2023!