Faculty of Medicine staff awarded Medals at Commemoration Day ceremony

Five Faculty of Medicine staff members received Medals recognising their exceptional contributions to the College and its community.

Imperial As One co-Chairs, Dr Sarah Essilfie-Quaye, Desmond Samuel and Dr Wayne Mitchell received the President's Medals for Excellence in Culture and Community; Rebecca Sie collected a President's Medal For Excellence in Supporting the Student Experience; and Professor Elio Riboli was awarded the Imperial College Medal. 

The Medals were presented during this year’s Faculty of Medicine Commemoration Day ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall—the first in-person Imperial College London graduation event to take place since 2019.

Professor Jonathan Weber, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, praised the Medal winners: "I am delighted by the College’s recognition of the impact made by Sarah, Wayne and Desmond to changing College culture; by Rebecca’s extraordinary support for our students and for Elio’s lifetime academic achievements and in particular his role in creating our outstanding School of Public Health".

Dr Sarah Essilfie-Quaye, Desmond Samuel and Dr Wayne Mitchell—President’s Medal for Excellence in Culture and Community 

This year, Imperial As One’s co-Chairs were awarded the President’s Medal for Excellence in Culture and Community. Imperial As One is the College’s staff network for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff and is led by Dr Sarah Essilfie-Quaye, Desmond Samuel, and Dr Wayne Mitchell. 

Imperial As One co-Chairs were singled out for their hard work and creativity in tackling racial inequalities, bias, and barriers across the College. Among their various activities, they were acknowledged for the numerous events and initiatives they are spearheading, such as as their weekly Belonging series, which shares the experiences of BAME staff and has amassed over 12,000 views since the first video was launched, as well as virtual coffee mornings and afternoon tea events that help to bring the BAME community together. In April 2021, Imperial As One had 458 members, a number that continues to grow as the year goes on.  

In a joint statement, they said: “Winning the President's Award is a pivotal moment in the history of our struggle to change attitudes towards diversity, inclusion and justice at the College. By accepting this award, we acknowledge a debt to those who came before us and to the Imperial As One community, and the friends and allies who inspire us - especially our former co-Chair, Yani King.   

“We recognise that everyone has a need to belong and with the continued resourcing and commitment from College leaders and the community, we know our ambitions can become a reality. This is just the start. With our plans for an Imperial As One Media Academy, we are looking to further empower, inspire and develop our Imperial community."

Rebecca Sie—President's Medal for Excellence in Supporting the Student Experience

Rebecca Sie, Teaching Facilities Manager in the Faculty of Medicine, was awarded the President's Medal for Excellence in Supporting the Student Experience. Rebecca has been recognised for going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure a high-quality educational experience for Imperial students throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Rebecca’s efforts have included helping to keep our students and staff safe on campus by ensuring technical support for remote teaching, carrying out risk assessments, and setting up social distancing-compliant room layouts and signage for over 70 teaching spaces on four sites for the 2021-22 academic year. 

Rebecca was nominated by Lisa Carrier, Head of Technology Enhanced Education, Faculty of Medicine. As part of Rebecca’s nomination, Lisa said: “Rebecca has been one of the heroes of the COVID-19 crisis response and I will echo a number of her colleagues, our students and the Faculty of Medicine leadership when I say that had it not been for her work to risk assess and prepare all Faculty teaching spaces, our Faculty of Medicine students would not have been able to return to campus for their educational experience for the autumn term 2020-21.”  

On her medal win, Rebecca said: “I was very surprised to discover I’d won! Without a doubt the last 18 months have been very challenging for everyone but having started in this role only a few weeks prior to lockdown, I’ve certainly felt far more challenged than I expected, so it’s been quite emotional to be recognised in this way.  

“While it’s lovely to be acknowledged, I honestly feel that I’ve just done my job as best I can. We were able to continue teaching thanks to a huge number of people within the Faculty Education Office (and affiliated to it) who have put heroic amounts of time and resource into ensuring our students can continue their education.   

“I can’t say it’s been an easy time, but I think the changes in teaching during the pandemic will translate into a better student experience and more effective teaching in the future.

Professor Elio Riboli—Imperial College Medal

Three Imperial College Medals were conferred as part of this year’s ceremonies. The Imperial College Medal is awarded for meritorious or praiseworthy service to the College or for having otherwise enhanced its reputation, mission, and objectives. 

Professor Elio Riboli is Chair in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention at Imperial. He has made an exceptional impact on the fields of epidemiology, cancer prevention and the fight against chronic illness. As the first Director of the School of Public Health, Professor Riboli more than doubled its teaching and research output, and he also cemented links between the Faculty of Medicine and the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.