- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Pramod Kumar
PROMINENT British Indian healthcare experts involved in Covid-19 vaccine trials and community support have found a place on Queen’s Birthday Honours List released on Friday (11).
Kolkata-born Divya Chadha Manek, director of business development and marketing at the British government’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), has been honoured with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her involvement in the research and development of vaccines and the resulting clinical trials.
Manek was at the heart of ensuring that Covid-19 vaccines could be put through requisite trials for a timely deployment as the Clinical Trials Workstream lead at the UK’s Vaccine Taskforce
“To me, this honour is recognising not just me, but everyone involved in the success of UK vaccine research — the half-a-million people who signed up to the vaccine research registry and the tens of thousands who took part in the vital Covid-19 vaccine trials here,” said Manek.
“When I left India at 18, my father gave me a flight ticket, put £500 in my pocket and told me-Be good, do good and do something amazing that you get to meet the Queen. I lost my father last year, but this honour truly feels like I have done good on his behalf. So thank you so much for this honour.”
Chadha Manek was instrumental in supporting companies to bring vaccine trials to the UK, generate the data required for marketing authorisation and help with the development of the Vaccine Research Registry.
Among the over 30 British Indians honoured for 2021 include OBEs for Jasvinder Singh Rai, founder and chairman of the Sikh Recovery Network for services to the Sikh community during the pandemic, and Jasjyot Singh of Lloyds Banking Group for services to financial services during the pandemic
Those honoured as Members of the British Empire (MBE) include Devina Banerjee, from Vaccine Taskforce, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for services to Covid-19 vaccine development, Anoop Jivan Chauhan, professor of respiratory medicine and executive director of Research, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, for services to respiratory medicine and Dr Ananthakrishnan Raghuram, consultant physician, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, for services to the NHS and Covid-19 response
Others across different fields honoured with an OBE include Jagjit Singh Chadha, director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, for services to economics and economic policy; actress and writer Lolita Chakrabarti for services to drama; and Sumita Singha for services to architecture.
Those receiving MBEs include Vimalkumar Choksi, Councillor, Ashton Waterloo, Tameside, for services to the community in Greater Manchester, Gurveer Dhami, senior private secretary to the Secretary of State For Education, and Amika Sara George, Founder of #FreePeriods Campaign, both for services to education, Sumit Goyal, consultant oncoplastic surgeon, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, for services to breast cancer and Cardiff Breast Centre Charity, and Priya Guha, Venture Partner, Merian Ventures, and Member, Innovate UK Council, for services to international trade and women-led innovation.
