Members of the collegiate University honoured for their outstanding contributions to society in science, education, medicine, the environment, and the arts.
Girton College Honorary Fellow Dr Suzy Lishman CBE, and Murray Edwards College Honorary Fellow Meera Syal CBE have been awarded damehoods.
Dr Lishman, a consultant cellular pathologist and medical examiner at Peterborough City Hospital, has been made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to the medical examiner system and patient safety. A Girton College alumna, she was instrumental in championing the need for a medical examiner service, and is a former President of The Royal College of Pathologists and The Association of Clinical Pathologists.
Actor, writer, and comedian Meera Syal has been made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to literature, drama and charity. Recognised for her outstanding contributions to the arts and her advocacy for diversity and equality, she was admitted as an Honorary Fellow at Murray Edwards College earlier this year. During the ceremony she said: "Thank you for this huge honour and for inviting me into the Murray Edwards family. In an Indian family, any woman over a certain age is called an Auntie, whether you're related or not, and I think Auntie Fellow has a certain ring to it and will printed on my correspondence from now on."
Craig Bennett, Chief Executive Officer of The Wildlife Trusts, Associate Fellow of Homerton College, Senior Associate of The Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, and a Policy Fellow of The Centre for Science and Policy, has been awarded an OBE for services to the environment. He is also a Commissioner on the UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 Advisory Commission. In 2021 he was included in The Sunday Times Green Power List of the UK’s top 20 environmentalists.
He said: "I’m very grateful for this honour and would like to send sincere thanks to those who nominated me. My career has focused on trying to join the dots between the nature and climate crises and the need for social justice and system change, and how they are all inextricably linked."
Professor of Transplant Surgery, and St Catharine’s College Fellow and Director of Studies, Professor Michael Nicholson has been awarded an OBE for services to kidney transplantation. A Consultant Surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Professor Nicholson’s pioneering research to develop new and innovative approaches to kidney transplantation has had a positive impact on the lives of kidney patients in the UK.
Prof Nicholson is also Director at the NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Organ Donation and Transplantation, an NIHR Senior Investigator, and a former President of the Surgical Research Society.
He said: “I am delighted to receive an OBE in recognition of my work as a kidney transplant surgeon. Transplantation is very much a team effort, and this honour reflects the dedication and hard work of the many outstanding people that I am fortunate to work with in both academia and the NHS.”
Dr Ayla Humphrey, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, and Course Director for the MPhil in Foundations of Clinical Psychology, has been awarded an MBE for services to young people with acquired brain injuries.
A practising clinical psychologist in NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), Dr Humphrey’s work centres on the early identification of mental health and developmental needs in children and young people, and on improving services for families to meet these needs.
She is the co-founder of the Cambridge Centre for Paediatric Neuropsychological Rehabilitation (CCPNR), the founding director of Cambridge Family Social Enterprise, and an Associate at Clare Hall.
She said: “I am honoured to have been awarded this MBE on behalf of the entire team at the Cambridge Centre for Paediatric Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, CPFT and all the families who work tirelessly to support young people with acquired brain injury. Our work continues to ensure these children receive the support they need.”