Citation for David Zideman: Gold Medal

David Zideman was a consultant anaesthetist at the Hammersmith Hospital from 1980 until his retirement in 2010. He was Chief of Service for anaesthesia from 1995 until 2008. David’s contributions to resuscitation and emergency care are well recognized at the highest level in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. His services to the Royal Family, as a Queen’s Honorary Physician, were recognized by his award of Lieutenant in the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in the 2008 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

David Zideman was a founding member of the Resuscitation Council (UK) and was Honorary Secretary for the first 8 years. David was the lead organiser for every annual RC (UK) Scientific Symposium from 1990 to 2006 – these were all very popular and highly successful events. He was honorary secretary of the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) for 5 years from 1997 and then Chair of the ERC from 2003 to 2008. David has been a very active member of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) since its foundation in 1994. He co-chaired the ILCOR Paediatric Task Force for 8 years and is currently co-chair of ILCOR First Aid Task Force. David has played a prominent role in the development of international resuscitation guidelines for more than two decades. In 2010, in recognition of his international contributions to CPR, David was honoured by the American Heart Association as a ‘Resuscitation Giant’ – this is a highly prestigious award; on average, there is just one award each year. Last year, David was also awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of London.

David is an enthusiastic and persuasive lecturer who continues to be in great demand: he has lectured on resuscitation and emergency medicine all over the world. David has published more than 100 scientific papers and book chapters, mainly in the field of resuscitation and prehospital care. He has been on the editorial board of the journal Resuscitation for many years.

David has maintained an active interest in prehospital medicine throughout his career. He chaired the British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS) for 6 years and has made considerable contributions as a volunteer in the St. John Ambulance Service - he is currently the District Medical Officer for London. As a volunteer, he continues to undertake prehospital medical shifts for London BASICS and the London Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS). Since 2012, David has also been Director of Clinical Operations for East Anglian Air Ambulance.

The pinnacle of David’s career in prehospital medicine came when he was appointed Clinical Lead for Emergency Medical Services for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games. David was responsible for setting up the emergency care system for all athletes, officials, the Olympic and Paralympic families and spectators at all Olympic and Paralympic venues. This was a massive project that involved recruiting and training 2000 volunteers for the emergency medical teams.

The Gold Medal is the highest award that can be made to a fellow of this Royal College and it is awarded only rarely. David Zideman has been a friend and mentor to me for most of my career and it is a huge pleasure to see him awarded this honour.