World-leading diabetes expert Professor May Ng has been awarded an OBE for her work in improving diabetes care for children and young people.
Professor Ng is a multi-award winning paediatrician, with a career spanning more than 25 years focused on children and young people with diabetes. She is recognised globally as a leader in the field.
Among her many prestigious roles, Professor Ng is chair of our Diabetes Research Steering Group (DRSG) for children and young people with diabetes. The DRSGs bring together scientists, healthcare professionals and people living with diabetes to identify areas where not enough research is happening and then make a plan to stimulate research.
Professor Ng has continually championed the voice of children with diabetes in guiding future research, and ensures this sits at the heart of the DRSGs. She has led important work around children’s mental health and access to diabetes technologies for children and young people with type 1 diabetes. This includes shining a light on the unacceptable inequalities in access to tech and working to develop research that will help to reveal why these inequalities exist.
Today’s OBE is the latest in a long list of other honours and awards. Last year, her team won the North West Parliamentary award for Excellence in Healthcare, and Prof Ng was awarded The University of Liverpool Alumni Award in 2020, Diabetes UK Mary McKinnon award in 2019 and the Diabetes Quality in Care award in 2016, amongst many others.
Prof Ng is also dedicated to raising autism awareness and raises a son living with the condition.
Professor May Ng said:
“I am surprised and deeply humbled to be honoured by this award. I wish to express my immense gratitude for the support from my family, my parents, my team, colleagues, the children and families whom I work with.
“Throughout my career, I have always been driven by a passion to improve the care of people living with diabetes and other endocrine conditions, and to advocate for autistic people due to my own personal experiences. This award reflects the dedication of so many people, and my greatest hope is that the recognition afforded by the OBE focuses attention on the continued efforts to improve diabetes care and raise autism awareness globally.”
Dr Elizabeth Robertson, Director of Research at Diabetes UK, said:
“It is fantastic news that Professor May Ng is rightly being recognised for her extraordinary work within the field of diabetes care and research over the years.
“Her contributions for children and young people living with type 1 diabetes in particular have been vital in ensuring they get the quality of care they need. We are also enormously thankful for Professor Ng’s leading role in our Diabetes Research Steering Groups - her hard work and insights have been central to the impact this initiative has had so far.”
