Louis Schmidt Award

Paul Crompton has made significant contributions to the field of BioCommunications in Medicine through publications, presentations, teaching and exhibitions. He received a Vocational Diploma of the British Institute of Professional Photographers from Blackpool College of Arts and Technology, UK in 1977. He was a medical photographer at University Hospital of Wales from 1977-1985 during which time he received additional certifications in medical photography and teaching.

Exploring the wider context of photography and wanting to mentor young photographers, he was Lecturer and Course Leader in Photography at Cheshire School of Art and Design (1985 – 1994). Following his M.A. in Photographic Studies from Derby University UK in 1991, he was appointed Visiting Lecturer in Photography at Blackpool College of Art (1992 – 1994). Anticipating the digital photography revolution, he returned to University Hospital of Wales in 1994 as Head of Photography, Media Resources Centre, Cardiff. Over the next 13 years, he managed the change to digital photography expanding the service into ophthalmic imaging and developing the role of photography within the patient care-pathways of dermatology and wound healing. In 2007 he was promoted to the role of Director and Head of Service at the same institution, managing a staff of 36 and an annual operating budget of approximately £1 million.

He is a member and active leader in four professional societies: IMI, OIA, BCA and HeSCA. For the UK’s Institute of Medical Illustrators, he took the lead in modernizing the career path and standardizing qualifications for students in the field of biomedical communications. Crompton has received numerous awards for his work. He has published 12 major papers and given 22 major presentations from 1982 to 2013 at professional conferences in the UK and U.S. He has an active career in creating his own photography, having presented eight major art exhibitions since 1985. His most recent personal project involved working with the charity Mothers of Africa, which helps healthcare workers in sub-Saharan Africa address high rates of maternal mortality. In 2013 he also helped install computers in a solar-power health education classroom in a remote village in Zambia.