Many different sources of financial and in-kind support contribute to our Scar Free mission, from community fundraising and advocacy driven by our Scar Free Ambassadors, their families and friends, to major private philanthropy and government grants. Often unsung are the local trusts, businesses and philanthropists who support our Scar Free Centres in Birmingham, Bristol and Swansea and are passionate about supporting initiatives in their hometowns. This month, we'd like to recognize one of these funders - the Birmingham-based Edward Cadbury Charitable Trust.
During the past five years, they've funded equipment and material costs for two ongoing major burns research projects at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham:
· Birmingham Objective Scar Scale Study (BOSS) - to develop an objective method to measure scarring in burn patients, so that different treatments can be compared and ranked for the first time
· DeScar - first-in-human clinical trial of an innovative dressing that releases the naturally occurring protein Decorin to actively prevent scarring
Their funding has contributed to the purchase of new equipment for measuring scars, including a colormeter, ultrasound scanner, and 3D camera. According to Professor Naiem Moiemen, their usefulness has extended far beyond these projects. Since 2012 Professor Moiemen has been leading the Foundation’s Burns and Conflict Wound Research in Birmingham, first as Director of The Scar Free Foundation Centre for Burns Research and, since 2018, as Director of The Scar Free Foundation Centre for Conflict Wound Research. Naiem is a Consultant Burns and Plastic Surgeon at University Hospital Birmingham and the Clinical Lead of the Midlands Burn Network.