A University of Leicester professor has won the 2025 Sir Paul Curran Award for Excellence in Academic Journalism. Jeremy Howick’s writing on empathy and placebos has now reached nearly a million readers. It is one of the most respected recognitions in science communication.

Jeremy Howick, Professor of Empathic Healthcare and Director of the Stoneygate Centre at the University of Leicester, collected the academic journalism award at a ceremony at Bayes Business School, City St George’s, University of London. Around 80 contributing authors attended on the day.

A Decade of Academic Journalism That Reaches Real People

Professor Howick has written 26 articles for The Conversation since 2016. Those pieces have pulled in more than 775,000 pageviews. Translators have also rendered his work into French and Portuguese. His topics range from the science of placebos and nocebo effects to the measurable impact of empathy in clinical settings.

Lady Helen Curran presented this year’s academic journalism award in Sir Paul’s absence. The prize recognises authors who show exceptional skill and dedication in making expert knowledge genuinely useful to everyday readers.

“I have always viewed public communication as a duty,” Professor Howick said. “The MRC, NIHR, and other public bodies have funded my research. That means taxpayers have often paid my bills. The Conversation gives me a forum to explain my work to the public.”

His motivation goes beyond sharing findings. He sees good science writing as a way to change practice in healthcare. He is not waiting for top-down policy shifts. Instead, he is building what he calls “a groundswell for change” through informed public understanding.

“At the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare in Leicester, and before that at the Oxford Empathy Programme, I have worked to ensure that all healthcare consultations include a dose of empathy. The evidence is starting to show that we are making a real difference.”

Academic Journalism Award Shines Light on Empathy in Medicine

Professor Howick’s work sits at the junction of clinical evidence and human connection. Conventional medical research often overlooks that space. Studies in his field suggest that patients who receive empathic care report better outcomes and greater treatment adherence. They also show lower anxiety levels. Those findings carry real implications for public health services under pressure.

His book, The Power of Placebos, draws wide praise from healthcare professionals. His research into the nocebo effect shows that negative expectations can worsen symptoms. It points to a broader truth: how clinicians talk to patients matters as much as what they prescribe.

Research also supports the wider benefits of prosocial behaviour. Volunteers show lower stress levels, healthier hearts, and higher levels of mood-lifting brain chemistry compared to non-volunteers. Professor Howick explored exactly this in his very first piece for The Conversation.

Senior Health Editor Clint Witchalls remembered it well. “It was about how doing good things for others doesn’t just feel nice but can actually make you healthier,” he said. “Studies showed that volunteers have lower stress levels, healthier hearts, and even a brain that rewards them with feel-good chemicals for being kind.”

Commendations Celebrate Excellence in Academic Communication

Three other researchers earned commendations at this year’s ceremony. Their recognition reflects the breadth of excellence in academic communication the award seeks to honour.

Stephan Blum, an archaeology researcher from the University of Tübingen in Germany, took the Highly Commended honour. He connects the ancient world to contemporary concerns with real flair. His pieces explore environmental pressures behind the fall of Troy and challenge long-held assumptions about early trade and wine production. Senior Arts Editor Anna Walker said he “instinctively understands what The Conversation needs.”

Meilan Yan, Senior Lecturer in Financial Economics at Loughborough University, and Narmin Nahidi of the University of Exeter both received Commended certificates. They tackled climate finance, a notoriously complex subject, and made it accessible through a user-friendly guide and glossary of key terms.

Senior Environment Editor Anna Turns said climate risk “gets overlooked among a chaotic landscape of geopolitical unrest.” She praised both writers for bridging the gap between financial risk and climate science in tangible, relatable ways.

The Conversation Upholds Excellence in Academic Journalism

Editor-in-Chief Stephen Khan said the organisation received thousands of articles and podcast contributions over the past 12 months. Those contributions reached millions of readers from all walks of life around the world.

“Jeremy Howick’s writing exemplifies the very best of The Conversation’s mission,” Khan said. “Rigorous evidence communicated with clarity, warmth and public purpose.” He added that all shortlisted authors showed a particular ability to make complex research accessible and genuinely useful.

The Sir Paul Curran Award now stands as a meaningful benchmark for excellence in academic journalism. It reflects a growing recognition that turning research into public knowledge is a skill in its own right. It is not an afterthought you tack onto laboratory work.

For Professor Howick, that has been a guiding principle for ten years and counting. “I’m humbled and honoured,” he said.

Source: dbrecoveryresources