Lifeboat hero who has saved dozens of lives and Covid treatment scientist among New Year honours
A scientist at the centre of Britain's fight against Covid, and a lifeboat station manager who has saved dozens of lives at sea, are among the South East figures named in the Queen's New Year Honours list.
Roger Cohen MBE, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Brighton Lifeboat Station and Newhaven Lifeboat Station, has been honoured for services to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Charity.
Roger trains local police officers in how to intervene if called to a water-related incident, works with Brighton Beach Patrol who patrol the beach at weekends, and supports the Council’s Lifeguard Team in collaborative ways of working with his team.
Under his leadership, Brighton became the first station to take part in a Pride Parade and he led on Brighton becoming the first LGBT+ accredited station in the RNLI.
He became Lifeboat Operations Manager at Brighton in 2010, responsible for all operational matters.
In this role, he is on call 24/7; he must be present at the station whenever the pager sounds to ensure the duty helm is fully briefed and to communicate with other emergency services.
Roger Cohen MBE - for services to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Charity.
He joined Brighton in 1982, serving as crew and helm for 18 years, and as crew at Tower in London for 13 years (where he completed 327 shifts and 149 service calls), before taking on the additional role of launch authority at Brighton, a position he still holds today.
In 1986, he received The Thanks of the Institution on Vellum in recognition of the skill, determination and teamwork displayed when rescuing the crew of three from the yacht Asterionella.
During his long standing service at these stations, he has been directly involved in 2,260 lifeboat launches resulting in 248 lives saved to date.
For 39 years, he has shown a deep-seated determination to drive the RNLI to be more inclusive and progressive, actively seeking those whose lives would benefit from being part of the ‘family’.
Professor Richard Haynes MBE, Professor of Renal Medicine and Clinical Trials, University of Oxford - for services to Global Health
Prof Haynes ran RECOVERY, the world's largest clinical trial to find treatments for Covid.
More than 40,000 patients have taken part leading to the development of successful treatments that have helped some of the sickest patients survive.
He was critical to the rapid initiation of the trial which started in just nine days.He led the discovery of dexamethasone and tocilizumab as successful treatments, reducing mortality by nearly one-half for the sickest patients.
The honour also recognises his work on determining that other widely promoted treatments were ineffective would have not been possible without his leadership, clinical expertise, and understanding of the scientific principles and operational mechanics of clinical trials.He has been the clinical trial coordinator for the RECOVERY trial since day one, and has led a coordination team while working remotely, and while liaising with hospitals across the UK, and supporting trial doctors and nurses on the wards up and down the country.
The professor has worked seven days a week dealing with everything from individual patient queries through to development and submission of multiple protocol updates to MHRA and the ethics committee.
He has worked closely with NHS England, Public Health England, and NHS Blood & Transplant to ensure hospitals have the necessary treatments for the trial.
He also worked with the NIHR Clinical Research Networks to ensure rapid implementation of the protocol and optimise recruitment of patients, and with NHS Digital to ensure relevant data flows.
The RECOVERY trial has been voted the Trial of the Year 2021 by the Society of Clinical Trials.
Susan Fleet MBE, Managing Director Lea Graham Associates - for services to Music and Charity
Susan has spent the last 50 years dedicating her life to voluntary charity work, fundraising, founding the Cantemus Choir; chairing the Burgess Hill Business Park Association and acting as the late Dame Vera Lynn's PA in the last few years of her life.
She has led large choirs, organised numerous large-scale charity events and organised solo concerts with her own Lea Graham Quartet raising millions for charity.
Susan founded the highly regarded Cantemus choir and has appeared as leading soprano in every Gilbert & Sullivan Opera and countless musicals.
In 2017 she recorded an album with renowned jazz singer and BBC radio presenter Claire Martin OBE.
Susan Fleet MBE
All the proceeds from the recording have been donated to The Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity, which supports families with children under five with cerebral palsy and other motor learning difficulties.
She has enjoyed a singing career, as well as founding Lea Graham Associates (LGA), which is one of the oldest PR agencies in Sussex, along with a highly respected entertainment agency.
She is a former board member and current Ambassador of Gatwick Diamond Business, a past Patron of the Samaritans and the Chair of the Burgess Hill Business Parks Association.
Erin Kennedy MBE - for services to rowing
Among the athletes to get recognition in this year's honours list are two Paralympic rowers from Henley-on-Thames in South Oxfordshire.
Erin successfully coxed the Paralympic Mixed Coxed Four to gold medal position at Tokyo 2020.
As cox of the victorious Oxford women’s blue boat in 2014, she joined Leander Club in Henley-on-Thames to continue coxing after her studies.
She was spare for the Paralympic Mix4+ in Rio 2016 and trialled for the Senior Women’s 8+ in the 2017 Season.
Erin Kennedy MBE
March 2017 saw her steer a women’s eight of returning Olympians to victory at the Women’s Eights Head of the River Race.
She then coxed GB’s women’s eight to fourth at the European Rowing Championships in Racice.
She moved across to trial for the Paralympic programme in the 2018 season and was selected for the World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
She coxed the crew to their eighth consecutive World Championship gold medal in a hard fought race against their main rivals, the USA.
She was once again selected for the coxing seat for the 2019 Season and steered the crew to two gold medals in May at the International Para Rowing Regatta in Gavirate, Italy.
At the 2019 World Championships, the PR3Mix4+ dominated the field to win the event by 12 seconds.
Giedre Rakauskaite MBE - for services to rowing
She won gold in the Mixed PR3 Coxed Four at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
She made an outstanding debut performance as a member of the GB Rowing Team, winning gold in the PR3Mix 4+ at the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota.
She started rowing in 2006 in Kaunas, Lithuania. She moved to the UK in 2011, taking up residence in Worcester to study Sports Coaching Science at Worcester University and rowing for the university.
Giedre Rakauskaite MBE
In her final year of study she began coaching at Hereford Cathedral School, taking on the lead coaching role upon graduation.
She continued to row competitively through Worcester Rowing Club winning a silver medal at BRIC in 2015 before making the semi finals of Senior doubles at Women’s Henley and qualifying for the new women’s doubles event at HRR in 2017.
Alongside James Fox, Ellen Buttrick, Ollie Stanhope and cox Erin Kennedy, she won the PR3 Mix4+ world title in 2019, adding the European title in 2021.
Lee Athwal BEM, volunteer, gets a British Empire Medal.
Her volunteer run community larder from the local church feeds up to 80 people each week in Tonbridge, Kent.
The service she created in 2018 has been even more valuable during the pandemic.
Lee said: "We suddenly reached a whole lot of new people that we didn't know.
"Not just families, older people, individuals, people that were either struggling to get the food, buy the food."
Dr Nick Woznitza MBE, Senior Lecturer in the School of Allied and Public Health Professions, Canterbury Christ Church University - for services to the NHS and radiography during the pandemic
The honour recognises his clinical and academic leadership skills in diagnostic radiography in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Over the last 18 months Dr Woznitza has engaged in research to improve preliminarily evaluation of chest imaging to support the rapid diagnosis of Covid-19, as well as keeping fellow radiographers both here in the UK and internationally updated with evidence to inform their work with Covid-19 patients.
He was also appointed as an expert advisor for diagnostic radiography services within the NHS Nightingale Hospital London, the first of the temporary hospitals set up by NHS England for the Covid-19 pandemic. This appointment acknowledged his leadership skills and professional credibility for the development of safe and effective services at pace.
In addition to supporting radiographers and health services, Dr Woznitza has used his experience to inspire current and future radiography students through mentorship, career advice and masterclasses, ensuring his work resonates with students and inspire new generations into the profession.
Dr Woznitza said: "I am shocked, amazed and humbled that I have been recognised in the New Year Honours List for services to radiography.
"I have been fortunate beyond words to have had the support and mentorship from so many people, in particular Dr Keith Piper, Professor Audrey Paterson, Professor Kate Springett and Professor Chris Burton who have guided and shaped my career both as an academic and a clinician.
"Our research has shown that patient care can be improved by radiographer reporting, and I look forward to continuing this exciting work at Canterbury Christ Church."