Two leading academics from the University of Southampton’s Faculty of Medicine have been awarded MBEs in the Queen’s New Year Honours for 2021.
Professor Keith Godfrey receives an MBE for services to Medicine during the COVID-19 response and Dr Nisreen Alwan receives an MBE for services to Medicine and Public Health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Professor Godfrey, who is Professor of Epidemiology and Human Development in the Southampton-based Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit and Honorary Consultant within the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, has led in conceiving, developing and successfully executing the pivotal saliva test programme in Southampton to assist the UK government in negotiating its emergence from the COVID pandemic.
Professor Diana Eccles, Dean of Medicine at Southampton said: “I am truly delighted that Keith is being recognised in this way for his incredible and tireless work to devise, develop and deliver the amazing Saliva testing programme that has been such an important part of our University, hospital and city response to COVID-19.
Dr Alwan is Associate Professor in Public Health and Honorary Consultant in Public Health at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. Her many contributions this year include early proposals for universal weekly testing.
Dr Alwan’s persistent scientific and public advocacy has also been instrumental in the recognition of Long COVID, as well as the need for measuring and addressing the morbidity from COVID-19 and the importance of intersectionality and addressing ethnic and socioeconomic inequalities.
Professor Eccles added: “This award for Nisreen is also richly deserved as she has made an outstanding contribution to the COVID-19 response. She was a key driver in the Southampton city saliva testing programme and more recently has been one of the key opinion leaders in the international debate around long COVID.”
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