Our Chair, Professor Nick Lemoine, is among those recognised in the New Year Honours List for 2022. Professor Lemoine has been awarded a CBE for services to clinical research, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network’s Medical Director, he took a leading role in orchestrating their coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including chairing the Urgent Public Health group which identified and ensured the delivery of the 100 most vital COVID-19 studies, and leading the Long COVID awards scheme which has seen more than £50m invested into 19 studies.
Professor Lemoine hailed the award as the result of a strong collective effort. He said: “It is a huge honour to receive this award, and I’d like to accept it on behalf of all of the many remarkable people I have worked with over the last two years, and without whom we would not have been able to achieve as much.
“Together, we were able to work at breakneck speed, and often under considerable pressure. The fact we could deliver this only shows how robust and well-developed the UK’s health research sector is. It has been an unforgettable privilege to have played a part in that effort.”
Professor Lemoine was nominated as Chair of our Board of Trustees in 2021 as Chair of the Board of Trustees at our linked charity, the Medical Research Foundation, as well as being Director of Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London.
Dr Angela Hind, our Interim Chief Executive, said: “Nick’s contributions to medical research are wide-reaching, encompassing his personal contributions to clinical research, leadership of new and established research organisations, and guidance and leadership of fledgling research funders.
“Despite the very significant increase in his workload throughout the pandemic, Nick has been an exceptional trustee for AREF, providing governance expertise and guidance to maximise our impact on health research in Africa.
“I am deeply honoured to have been able to work closely with Nick over the years and I am delighted that his contribution to medical research has been publicly acknowledged in this way.”