History of the Bhowmick Lecture
The Bhowmick Lecture was introduced in 2005 in honour of Professor Bimal Bhowmick who had been one of the very first pioneers in the evolution of stroke services, initially in his own area of Rhyl in North Wales and then for the benefit of the whole of Wales. It is an annual lecture held at the Welsh Stroke Conference and the invitation is extended to an eminent person who has made a very significant international contribution to stroke. You will find below the biography of Professor Bim Bhowmick and the hall of fame of the previous recipients of the Bhowmick Lecture.
About Professor Bhowmick
Professor Bimal Bhowmick has had a long and distinguished career in the NHS Wales for nearly 50 years and held in high esteem by his professional colleagues, staff and the public. His contribution to developing geriatric services in Wales has been phenomenal. In addition, he created a demonstration unit for stroke rehabilitation and pioneered innovative services to improve the quality of life of stroke patients such as the first ever family stroke support worker, first stroke club, first volunteer speech scheme, first outreach stroke team, first diploma course in stroke rehabilitation with Bangor University and the first Stroke Association branch in Wales.
In 2006 Bim also pioneered the transformational scheme of the Hospital at Home and establishing the Virtual Ward in the community for older people in illness in Torfaen South Wales, thereby reducing hospital admissions and delayed discharges. Bim was, and still is, a phenomenal character though now in his later years is taking things a bit quieter and enjoying time with his family. He was a consultant physician in Rhyl in North Wales and established an academic unit in a rural DGH. In 2004 he was awarded an honorary chair by Cardiff University. He was very much involved in medical education in Wales, being an Associate Postgraduate Dean at Cardiff University. In addition, he had several major roles at the Royal College of Physicians in London being a senior censor. He initiated and chaired the RCP Equality and Diversity Committee. In fe was the first ethnic minority elected councillor and MRCP examiner of the RCP.
He has received many honours including the OBE, the Founders Medal from the British Geriatrics Society, the Diamond Jubilee Medal for public service and the NHS Wales Life time Achievement Award. He has also been the Deputy Lord Lieutenant for the County of Clwyd. Bim was awarded the Fellowship by Cardiff and Glyndwr Universities. He served as a Commissioner in the influential Welsh health think tank the Bevan Commission which named the Hospital at home as BIM -Bhowmick Innovative Model (2013). His memoire ‘You can’t climb a ladder with hands in your pocket’ published in 2005 has been reviewed as “inspirational”. It describes how his family narrowly escaped from the jaws of slaughter in Bangladesh during the partition of India (1947), how he became a penniless refugee in India fighting abject poverty and hunger, the loss of his father from starvation, and having to beg for his school fees for his education which put him on the path to success.