Recognition for partnership in King's Birthday Honours 2025

Six current and former staff across King’s Health Partners (KHP) have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours 2025.

Among the honours was the award of a Knight Grand Cross - the highest rank within the Order of the British Empire.

The Honours, the latest of which was published on 14 June, award people who have made achievements in public life and committed themselves to serving and helping the UK.

See below to find out who has been recognised this year.

‘Privilege to work with such generous, talented and extraordinary colleagues’

Prof Sir Simon Wessely was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE).

A world-renowned academic psychiatrist and epidemiologist, Prof Sir Simon Wessely trained at the Maudsley and has been with Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) and King’s College London for more than 35 years. He was knighted in 2013 for services to military healthcare and psychological medicine, and 2017 became the first Regius Professor of Psychiatry in the country. He said:

Being the first psychiatrist to receive this honour shows just how far mental health in general, and psychiatry in particular, has advanced since I started my psychiatry training at the Maudsley Hospital back in 1984. I was fortunate to then move to the Institute of Psychiatry in 1991, where I have been ever since.

Whatever I have achieved since then would never have been possible without the support of both what is now the IoPPN and the wider King’s College London. But the most important thing of all has been the privilege to work with such generous, talented and extraordinary colleagues over all these years. My thanks to each and every one of you.

Read his full profile. 

‘Wonderful to receive this recognition’

Prof Robin Ali has been awarded an OBE for services to gene and cell therapies.

He is Director of the Centre for Gene Therapy and Regenerative Medicine within the King’s College London Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, and was recently appointed Academic Lead for Advanced Therapies at KHP. This is a strategic role supporting the development and integration of advanced therapeutic approaches across the partnership. He said:

It is wonderful to receive this recognition, but it is really deserved by the whole team and by the many fantastic colleagues whose support has made any achievement possible.

Read his full interview or our KHPeople profile of Prof Ali.

‘Deeply honoured and humbled’

Prof Avey Bhatia was awarded an OBE for services to the NHS and nursing. She returned to Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (FT) as Chief Nurse in November 2020, having trained as a critical care nurse at St Thomas' at the beginning of her career.

Prof Bhatia qualified in 1991 and her clinical experience includes theatres, coronary care, and general and cardiothoracic intensive care nursing. She is President of the Florence Nightingale Foundation and honorary Vice President of The Nightingale Fellowship. She recently became Professor of Professional Practice at King’s College London. She said:

I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive this award. It is recognition that I share with colleagues who have supported my career, and also my family whose encouragement has been instrumental in enabling my role in the NHS.

It has been an absolute privilege to have worked in the NHS as a nurse for the last 30 years and this honour inspires me for the years ahead.

Read the full article with Prof Bhatia.

‘I hope it can raise awareness’

Prof Adam Fox was awarded an OBE for services to paediatric allergy. He is Professor of Paediatric Allergy at both Evelina London Children’s Hospital and King’s College London. Currently he is leading the development of the National Allergy Strategy as Chair of the National Allergy Strategy Group.

Prof Fox has held roles at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS FT, including Clinical Director for Specialist Ambulatory Medicine, and Commercial Medical Director. He said:

It has been my privilege to work in many teams over the years who have contributed so much to this progress, and none more so than the amazing allergy teams at my NHS Trust and King’s College London. I also hope it can raise awareness of how much more we still have to do to help improve the lives of the many people who live with allergic disease.

Read the full article with Prof Fox.

‘Astonished and humbled’

Prof Caroline Ogilvie received an OBE for services to patients with genetic disorders. Now retired, she was a Consultant Clinical Scientist in Genetics at the South East Genomics Laboratory Hub, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS FT.

Prof Ogilvie started working at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS FT in 1990 as a healthcare scientist developing new techniques to improve diagnostic efficiency for patients. These techniques were introduced at the trust, and subsequently across the country. She said:

I’m astonished and humbled to have been given this honour, and delighted that the importance of genetics in reproductive and developmental disorders has been further recognised. I consider it a testament to the many colleagues with whom I have collaborated over the last 35 years, and am very grateful to them all.

Read the full article with Prof Ogilvie.

‘Thanks to my colleagues and patients’

Prof Anthony Dorling was awarded an OBE for services to kidney patient care. He was formerly Professor of Transplant Inflammation and Repair at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS FT and King’s College London.

He moved to the Guy’s Hospital renal unit in 2009, from Imperial College London. His clinical and academic work focused on kidney patients who were difficult to transplant because of antibodies, and on transplant patients with smouldering ‘chronic’ rejection. He said:

I am humbled and honoured to receive this award in recognition of my clinical and research work at Guy’s Hospital and King’s College London. Thanks to my colleagues and patients in both the renal unit and King’s College London, without whom my modest achievements would not have been possible.

Read the full article with Prof Dorling.