Professor at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust awarded OBE for inspirational work during COVID-19 pandemic

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust is proud to share the news that Ramesh Arasaradnam, Professor of Gastroenterology, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s honours list.

Professor Arasaradnam, an honorary clinical academic at the Universities of Warwick, Coventry and Leicester, is set to receive the Order of the British Empire for his dedication to patient care, education and clinical research during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Publication of the Queen’s Birthday Honours was delayed until this weekend in order to allow time to honour hundreds of frontline workers and community heroes who played a key role in the pandemic response.

Professor Arasaradnam said: "I am hugely shocked and massively proud to be bestowed with such an honour.

"I am still trying to digest the news and am delighted to have received national recognition for our work to help protect the greater good of the nation.

"It is very much a team effort in healthcare and I am hugely grateful to all of my colleagues for their support during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Professor Arasaradnam, who has been working at UHCW NHS Trust since 2007, specialises in gut physiology, inflammatory and cancer biology.

He is also chair for the Research Committee of the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) to determine national research strategies for the specialty.

Professor Kiran Patel, Chief Medical Officer and Interim Chief Executive at UHCW NHS Trust, said: “We are incredibly proud of all our staff and the way that they continuously go above and beyond for others.

“Professor Arasaradnam embodies this ethos and his expertise has made a hugely positive difference to how patients with COVID-19 are cared for not only at UHCW but on a far wider scale.

“We are thrilled that his devotion to education and research, which is helping to save lives and ensure that the people of Coventry and Warwickshire continue to receive world class care, has been recognised in this way.”

Professor Arasaradnam is an honorary clinical academic at Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, where he has collaborated on research and acts as a Clinical Personal Tutor to students while supervising postgraduate students.

Professor Sudhesh Kumar OBE, Dean of Warwick Medical School, said: “We are delighted that Professor Arasaradnam has been honoured for not only his exemplary work during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also his work in research and education.

“Not only has the impact of his work been felt at a national level, he has made a significant contribution to Warwick Medical School through both his research and his teaching, especially in in the field of gastroenterology.”

An OBE is awarded for having a major local role in any activity, including people whose work has made them known nationally in their chosen area.