Three Barts Health staff recognised in King’s New Year’s Honours
We are pleased to announce that three Barts Health colleagues were recognised for their contributions and achievements in health in this year’s King’s New Year’s Honours.
Dr Fenella Wrigley (pictured left), for services to the NHS
A&E consultant at The Royal London Hospital, and chief medical officer for London Ambulance Service, Dr Fenella Wrigley has been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
Fenella has dedicated her career to caring for the people of London since graduating from St George’s University Medical School in 1996, doing her specialist training in emergency medicine and working on London’s Air Ambulance, before becoming an A&E consultant in 2006.
She has helped care for patients and deal with the impact of major incidents and was one of the first on scene at the 7/7 bombings, and subsequently provided strategic clinical leadership for multiple major incidents including Grenfell and the 2017 terrorist incidents.
Commenting on the award, Fenella said: “I am truly honoured and humbled to have been awarded an MBE for services to the NHS. But, as with every achievement and success in the NHS, this has only been made possible because of the teams I work with.
“I am very proud to be a doctor, and to know that – with teamwork – we can provide fantastic care to people when they need us most. I would like to say thank you to my colleagues at London Ambulance Service and at The Royal London for all that we achieve together.”
Dr Jahangir (Jingy) Alom (pictured middle), for services to Tackling Health Inequalities, particularly during Covid-19
Dr Jahangir Alom, an A&E doctor at Newham Hospital, has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM).
Jahangir (often known as Jingy) has dedicated over a decade of his life to advocating for minority groups. Over the course of the pandemic, Jingy advocated for better safety measures for ethnic minority communities and later became a trusted voice for information about Covid-19 and vaccines. He joined Barts Health NHS Trust in August 2020, moving from Leicester to Tower Hamlets, the community in which he grew up.
Jingy is the programme director at Selfless UK, a school governor, and a board member at the Institute of Public Policy Research. He has previously been recognised as one of the top 100 healthcare leaders of 2022 by the Health Service Journal and is a recipient of an NHS Parliamentary Award 2022.
Jingy is also an advocate for diversity within the NHS workforce and supports young students who aspire to work in the organisation.
Commenting on the award, Jingy said: “I feel extremely privileged to care for the people of east London. I grew up in Tower Hamlets and it is not just my mission, but my duty, to create better health outcomes for my local community. I am proud that this work has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours list and I will continue to do what I can to reduce health inequalities in this area of social deprivation.”
Professor Rupert Pearse (pictured far right), for services to Intensive Care Medicine
Professor Rupert Pearse, Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at Queen Mary University of London, has been awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE).
As well as working as an intensive care consultant at The Royal London Hospital, Rupert has been Director of Clinical Research at Barts Health and Queen Mary University of London for the last seven years. Rupert’s main research focus has been on improving patient outcomes following major surgery. He has led numerous large multi-centre trials and research studies in this field.
Central to his clinical director role, Rupert is overseeing the creation of a new Clinical Research Facility at the Royal London Hospital that will make it much easier for people in east London to take part in clinical trials of new novel treatments.
Commenting on the award, Rupert said: “It’s a wonderful honour to be nominated for this award. Intensive medicine is at the sharp end of NHS services and we were truly put to the test during the pandemic. I see this as recognition for the amazing teams at Barts Health and QMUL who gave their all in the most difficult of circumstances.”
Shane DeGaris, Barts Health group chief executive said: "Fenella, Jingy and Rupert have dedicated their lives to our patients and making sure they get the best possible care. I'm delighted they have been recognised for their hard work. These awards are very well deserved; congratulations on behalf of everyone at Barts Health."
Meanwhile, an NHS volunteer who has spent six decades supporting the staff and patients at Bartholomew’s Hospital has also been recognised.
Ann Wickham, whose long association with Britain’s oldest hospital began in 1966 when her husband, renowned urologist John Wickham, joined the medical staff, received a British Empire Medal for services to charity, in particular the Barts Guild, which she is currently president of.