Bermudian doctor Annabel Fountain has been awarded a prestigious fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians in Britain.

The accolade is only awarded by the RCP to those physicians who are considered to be the “most innovative and exceptional physicians in the world”.

She becomes the third Bermudian to receive the honour, after Arlene Basden and Dick Patton.

Dr Fountain said the award highlighted how patients could get quality treatment without leaving the island.

“It’s really important that the Bermudian community knows that they don’t always need to go overseas to see a specialist physician,” she said.

“There are physicians in Bermuda who are trained and maintain their standards at the same level as their peers in overseas centres.”

Dr Fountain, a diabetes specialist, has spent the past eight years striving to improve medical care in Bermuda, including tackling amputation rates through her Diabetic Foot Clinic at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

She is also president of the Bermuda Medical Doctors Association and sits on the Board of the Bermuda Health Council and other health-related boards and committees.

The fellowship means she must “champion the values of the medical profession, promote and improve patient-centred care, influence healthcare agenda and improve standards of practice”.

“I am really proud to be nominated and receive this award,” Dr Fountain said.

“I will continue to serve the Bermudian community and strive to maintain excellent standards in healthcare for the island.”

Dr Fountain opened her practice Fountain Health late last year.

She also served as director of endocrinology for the Bermuda Hospitals Board for seven years and started the multidisciplinary Diabetic Foot Clinic at the hospital in 2011.

She said: “Bermuda has one of the highest non-traumatic amputation rates in the world.

“These clinics are the gold standard of care and have been shown to reduce amputations. I have also engaged in and encouraged audit at the hospital, which is important for assessing quality of medical care.”

Her patients include type 1 and type 2 diabetes sufferers, while she is also an expert in diabetes in pregnancy, diabetic foot disease and technologies supporting diabetes such as continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pump therapy.

She treats people with other disorders of the endocrine system such as thyroid dysfunction, thyroid cancer and thyroid nodules, pituitary and adrenal tumours, adrenal failure, osteoporosis, fertility issues and polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Dr Fountain has also arranged educational events for Bermudian physicians, and started the Sir Edwin Astwood Memorial Lecture series, which has featured symposia on thyroid disease, obesity, diabetic foot disease and psychology of chronic disease.

She has also given lectures hosted by the BHB and Lahey Clinic.

Dr Fountain has been a member of the RCP since 2004 when she completed her internal medicine exams.

She was nominated for the award by David Martin, the cardiovascular medicine specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.