Congratulations to University Professors Stephen Holgate, Jackline Wahba, Lucy Yardley, Paul Elkington and Hywel Morgan who have been honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Professor Stephen Holgate
Professor Holgate has been knighted for services to medical research. Recognised as one of the top specialists in his field, both nationally and internationally, Professor Holgate’s many leading appointments, including Government advisor, underline his high level of expertise and experience. He has devoted his career to focusing on the interface between basic sciences and clinical application to improve our understanding and treatment of allergy and asthma and remains one of the world’s foremost spokespeople on the dangerous impact of air pollution.
He is also one of the cofounders of Synairgen, a University of Southampton spin-out company established in 2004 to develop inhaled interferon beta which has proven effective against viral respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.
Professor Jackline Wahba has been awarded an OBE for services to Economic Policy.
Professor Wahba is Professor of Economics at Southampton, having obtained her PhD in the subject from the University before pursuing her long academic career. One of the leading voices on the economics of migration, she has published extensively on its global impact and leads the migration research within the ESRC Centre for Population Change at Southampton. A member of the UK Migration Advisory Committee since 2012, she has recently been elected as member of the Council of the Royal Economic Society.
Professor Jackline Wahba
Professor Lucy Yardley has been awarded an OBE for her services to the country’s Covid-19 response.
Professor Yardley is Professor of Health Psychology and sits on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) – the group tasked with providing scientific advice to aid government decision makers during the coronavirus pandemic. As co-chair of the sub-group that provides behavioural input to SAGE, Professor Yardley has provided advice and expertise throughout the pandemic, particularly in relation to supporting people to implement measures designed to reduce the impact of the virus.
Her main research focus is on empowering people to take control and self-manage their health, especially by developing and evaluating digital interventions. She led the development of the ‘Germ Defence’ web app which helps users adopt better infection control in the home.
Professor Lucy Yardley
Professors Elkington and Morgan have been awarded MBEs for services to medicine and services to biomedical engineering respectively.
The awards are in recognition of their work to lead the development of new, reusable PPE in the form of a protective respirator, known as PeRSo, for healthcare staff tackling COVID-19 on the frontline.
As the country went into lockdown in March, Professors Elkington and Morgan brought together a collaboration of engineers from the University of Southampton, clinicians at University Hospital Southampton and industry partners including McLaren, Kemp Sails and INDO Lighting. In just one week, this partnership turned an idea into a prototype which was then tested on wards and manufactured at scale in less than a month.
The respirator now has HSE approval for use in healthcare during the pandemic.
Professor Paul Elkington (left) and Professor Hywel Morgan (right)
Follow these links for more information on the honours:
Professor Paul Elkington and Professor Hywel Morgan
