Pioneering sexual health films win BMA MEDFASH Award
A groundbreaking sexual health project that created innovative films to tackle STI stigma and boost testing among young people has won the 2025 BMA Foundation MEDFASH Award.
The films and the team behind their creation also received recognition on STV News at Six and online - Call for young people to get tested as gonorrhoea rates rise | STV News.
The Limiting Undetected Sexually Transmitted Infections to Reduce Morbidity (LUSTRUM2) project, led by Glasgow Caledonian University Professor Claudia Estcourt and Dr Jennifer MacDonald, received the award in recognition of its significant impact on improving the quality of HIV and sexual healthcare in the UK.
The British Medical Association (BMA) award recognises initiatives that continue the legacy of the MEDFASH charity (1987–2016), which championed evidence-based sexual health care.
The LUSTRUM2 research team brings together leading experts from Glasgow Caledonian University, the University of Strathclyde, University College London (UCL), and Central and North West London NHS Trust.
As part of LUSTRUM2 – a continuation of the original LUSTRUM research programme, a five-year study funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), researchers focused on developing new targeted digital interventions aimed at getting the message out to more young people.
The team enlisted the help of 17 talented young people from around the UK, including several former Glasgow Caledonian and GCU London students, to co-produce three short, culturally attuned films, under the leadership of UCL’s Dr Melvina Woode Owusu.
Professor of Sexual Health and HIV Claudia Estcourt said: "The BMA MEDFASH award is highly respected in sexual healthcare. Being named the 2025 winner is a huge testimony to the vision and cohesion of the whole LUSTRUM2 team. It is wonderful for the talented co-producers to have such visible recognition of their work."
The films were designed to reduce stigma, encourage STI testing, and provide relatable messages for diverse communities, particularly Black Caribbean youth, who are disproportionately affected by STIs.
The initiative has been formally endorsed by the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), highlighting its sector-wide credibility.
Dr MacDonald said: “The great thing about these films is that they were created during an in-depth, respectful, power-sharing process involving lots of young people, clinicians and expert researchers, with the full backing of BASHH. A careful, culturally sensitive approach has led to the creation of films with different content, feel and priorities which we hope will enhance sexual healthcare.”
The films are paired with a practical toolkit, making them easy to integrate into sexual health services and online platforms.
Dr Woode Owusu said: "Receiving the MEDFASH Prize is a profound honour, reflecting the power of co-production in sexual health research. LUSTRUM2 succeeded because we centred the voices of young people and communities most affected by STIs, creating films that are both clinically accurate and culturally meaningful. This recognition celebrates what happens when research is done with communities, not to them."
The award was collected at the ceremony by Amelia McInnes-Dean, UCL researcher on LUSTRUM2, and André Bright, lay co-applicant and co-investigator, who facilitated workshops with young people of Black Caribbean heritage.
André said: “It was such an honour to be there on the day! Some of the people and research being done were incredible!”
One of the co-producers of the films, Amari Leigh, said she was “proud” to be involved in the project and to see the films being recognised.
“By creating content that reflects real experiences and speaks directly to our community, we’re helping people feel seen, informed, and empowered to take charge of their sexual health,” added Amari.
Professor Estcourt and Dr MacDonald are in the School of Health and Life Sciences’ Research Centre for Health (ReaCH) Sexual Health and Blood Borne Viruses Research Group.
Photo shows (L-R) – BMA President Professor Dame Parveen Kumar, who presented the awards, André Bright, Amelia McInnes-Dean and Professor David Nott, who spoke at the awards.
For more information on the award, visit BMA Foundation MEDFASH Award winners 2025. The films can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx6fUisnOn4oh6fuGrnjZAW3n5G7Ury0Z
