Dr Afzal Ansary ASIS FRPS receives a President and Council Commendation for his continued support and dedication to the RPS.
Afzal is one of the RPS' most prolific volunteers. Having worked in medical and scientific imaging throughout his professional life, Afzal decided to get involved in volunteering with the RPS when he retired. He began as a committee member on the North West region and eventually became the Regional Organiser. He went on to concentrate on his other volunteer roles - as a key member of the Science Committee and Distinctions Advisory Board, and Chairman of the Imaging Scientist Qualifications Board, Chairman of the Medical Group, and Chairman of the Combined Royal Colleges Medal Awards Committee.
Afzal has worked on five exhibitions for the RPS. He established and coordinated the first International Images for Science Exhibition in 2011 and in 2013. Here he worked with scientists, researchers, technologists and scientific photographers from all over the world. He also coordinated the Special Interest Group exhibition, the first Exhibition of the Analogue Group and the ‘Visualising Medicine’ exhibition, both shown at Fenton House.
In 2013, he was awarded the Fenton Medal and Honorary Life Membership of The Royal Photographic Society, an award given to any member or non-member who has made an outstanding contribution to the work of the Royal Photographic Society.
RPS President, Simon Hill HonFRPS said: "With such a long-standing and greatly respected presence within the RPS, that extends to some 50 years, we all owe a great debt to Afzal. His involvement with so many photographic, medical and scientific organisations provides Afzal with tremendous insight into the wider world of scientific and medical photography which we, in the RPS, benefit from in so many ways. It was an honour to make this award to Afzal; it is the first such award to be made to a UK member and only the second such award to be made during the term of the present Council. I offer my personal congratulations to Afzal and, on behalf of all his friends and colleagues in the RPS, thank him enormously for his invaluable contribution over so many many years."
Read more about Afzal's volunteering journey with the RPS →