New Year Honours: MBE for Princess Alexandra Hospital's director of infection prevention and control
The director of infection prevention and control at Harlow's Princess Alexandra Hospital has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours.
Dr Shico Visuvanathan, a consultant microbiologist, has been recognised for services to microbiology, infection prevention and control, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Visuvanathan has worked at PAH NHS Trust (PAHT) since 1994 and became the hospital's first director of infection prevention and control in 2003.
Before that, she studied medicine at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London, which is now part of University College London (UCL).
Her honours then included the Charlotte Dixon memorial prize in neurology, the Peter Flintan prize in clinical pharmacology and anaesthetics, and the Harold Boldero scholarship in medicine. She graduated as the Broderip scholar and was awarded the William Henry Rean dean's prize for most promising young doctor at the medical school in 1983.
Dr Visuvanathan went on to specialise in medical microbiology at University College Hospital London and completed her MD (doctor of medicine), MSc in clinical microbiology and FRCPath (Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists).
She said: "I am humbled and very proud to be awarded an MBE. It is a reflection of the wonderful infection prevention and control (IPC) team and microbiology team I work with and the hard work put in by clinical colleagues and trust senior management alike during this pandemic.
"I would like to thank clinical and management colleagues on the PAHT infection prevention and control and clinical cells (teams) who have helped implement infection prevention and control plans, and all staff in the hospital who have worked so hard to look after our patients and each other.
"I would also like to thank everyone who has supported me in my career, colleagues both past and present, and my family."
Trust chief executive Lance McCarthy said: "It is fantastic to see Dr Visuvanathan be awarded this prestigious accolade.
"Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the support of Shico and the infection prevention and control and microbiology teams have been outstanding.
"I am absolutely delighted for Shico and congratulations to her on this amazing achievement."