Lyn Clearihan Award: History, Winners, and Next Awards

Yousuke Takemura, Zorayda Leopando, Mora Claramita, Regina SIT, Soo Young Kim, Hari Kusnanto

History

Background 

The Asia Pacific Family Medicine journal is the official scientific journal of Wonca Asia pacific. Launched in 2002, Asia Pacific Family Medicine Journal aims to provide a medium for the dissemination of high quality family medicine/general practice articles in Asia Pacific region. The journal has been an open access journal by the BioMedCentral or BMC by 2018. 

https://apfmj.biomedcentral.com

Now the journal is an open access journal by Universitas Gadjah Mada Press from 2019. 

https://journal.ugm.ac.id/apfmj/index

Foundation 

In 2009, the Lyn Clearihan award was established. The award was named in honor of Professor Lyn Clearihan, one of the first co-editors-in-chief of APFMJ, who was fundamental in the founding and sustainability of the journal. 

Aims 

1. To raise the standard of primary care research in the Asia Pacific region 
2. To encourage more researchers to submit manuscripts to the Asia Pacific Family Medicine journal 

Winners

Five awards have been given to:

2009: First Lyn Clearihan Award:  given in Hong Kong

Carmel M Martin, Chris Peterson, Rowena Robinson and Joachim P Sturmberg.

“Care for chronic illness in Australian general practice – focus groups of chronic disease self-help groups over 10 years: implications for chronic care systems reforms”

Asia Pacific Family Medicine 2009 8:1, Published on: 23 January 2009

2011: Second Lyn Clearihan Award, given in Cebu Philippines:

Tony MO Bakare and Peter Schattner.

“The usefulness of a clinical 'scorecard' in managing patients with sore throat in general practice”

Asia Pacific Family Medicine 2010 9:9, Published on: 29 July 2010

2012: Third Lyn Clearihan Award,   given in Jeju, Korea

Mora Claramita, Adi H Sutomo, Mark A Graber and Albert JJ Scherpbier

“Are patient-centered care values as reflected in teaching scenarios really being taught when implemented by teaching faculty? A discourse analysis on an Indonesian medical school's curriculum”

Asia Pacific Family Medicine 2011 10:4, Published on: 25 April 2011

2014:  Fourth Lyn Clearihan Award -   given in Kuching, Sarawak Malaysia    

Ikuko Aoyama, Shinichi Koyama and Haruo Hibino.

“Self-medication behaviors among Japanese consumers: sex, age, and SES differences and caregivers’ attitudes toward their children’s health management” 

Asia Pacific Family Medicine 2012 11:7. Published on: 11 September 2012

2015 Fifth Lyn Clearihan Award:  awarded in Taipei, Taiwan  

Grace Marie V Ku and Guy Kegels.

“A cross-sectional study of the differences in diabetes      knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and self-care practices as related to assessment of chronic illness care among people with diabetes consulting in a family physician-led hospital-based first line health service and local government health unit-based health centers in the Philippines”

Asia Pacific Family Medicine 2014 13:14, Published on: 16 December 2014

2017 Sixth Lyn Clearihan Award - given in Pattaya

Michiko Goto, Shoji Yokoya, Yousuke Takemura, Alberto Alexander Gayle and Tsukasa Tsuda

“Describing the factors that influence the process of making a shared-agenda in Japanese family physician consultations: a qualitative study”

Asia Pacific Family Medicine 2015 14:1 Published on: December 2015

2018 Seventh Lyn Clearihan Award - awarded in Kyoto

Mora Claramita, Fitriana Murriya Ekawati,Aghnaa Gayatri,Wahyudi Istiono,Adi Heru Sutomo,Hari Kusnanto, and Mark Alan Graber.

“Preparatory graduate professional training in general practice by using the 'experiential learning' framework”

Asia Pacific Family Medicine 2018 17: 4. Published in: May 2018

Next Awards

Content of the award 

1. The award acts as a certificate of recognition for excellent original research(es) published by author(s) in Asia Pacific Family Medicine journal 
2. The name of the winner and the title of the paper will be featured in the website of the APFMJ until a new winner is announced. 
3. Monetary prize of 1000 USD will be given to each of the winners 
4. Award will be presented at the Wonca Asia Pacific Regional Conference. 
5. The award is given only in the year in which Wonca Asia Pacific Regional Conference is held. (biannually at the present) 

Mechanism and criteria of selection 

1. The co-editors in chief shall review the list of articles submitted to APFMJ during the last 2 years and consider the papers which comply with the following screening criteria 
   • Original research paper 
   • Has family physicians or trainees in family medicine from any of the countries within member organizations in Asia Pacific as authors 
   • Has not received the Lyn Clearihan Award for the last 6 years (three times of the previous award) 
2. Three evaluators from the northern, south eastern, and Australia/New Zealand areas evaluate all articles submitted to the journal for two years. 
3. The criteria for evaluation are 
   • Importance of the topic to the region 
   • Importance of the topic to family medicine/general practice 
   • A paper with clearly stated aim that is addressed rigorously in the article 
   • Research methods are appropriate to the aim and are applied well