Alberto Cessel is a final year Business Management student and co-founder of Si Mangia, a business helping local restaurants and food retailers in Siena, Italy to continue trading and deliver food during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alice Wiseman is Director of Public Health for Gateshead. During the pandemic she has spoken on local radio and TV, giving updates on COVID-19 restrictions and clarifying their meaning to the public.

Anne Oyewole is a valued manager and researcher, who embodies the University’s values and seeks to deliver excellence in everything she undertake. In her role as Programme Manager for National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Anne has delivered impactful COVID-19 intelligence to assist national responsive-strategies during the crisis.

Ashley Clay has worked for the NHS 111 COVID-19 Response Service since the start of the pandemic, adapting from her life working at sea in entertainment. She has trained as a COVID-19 vaccinator and also works for a local university supporting students’ wellbeing throughout the pandemic, promoting welfare and engagement.

Bridget Donaldson decided to take on a frontline role in the NHS during the pandemic. She has been working as a Nursing Assistant at Croydon Hospital, supporting families and patients whilst also juggling further study at Oxford University.

Chris Speed has ensured that COVID-19 vaccine research has been accessible to a range of communities who, to date, tend not to be included in mainstream health research. These are the communities with the poorest health outcomes and therefore stand to gain most from taking part in the research.

Emanuele Andreano has discovered the most potent human monoclonal antibody, now in clinical development, for therapy and prophylaxis of COVID-19. His ultimate goal is to use this monoclonal antibody to restore the global health and economic disruption caused by this pandemic and help save millions all lives all over the world.

Emily Bowering showed versatility during the pandemic by taking on frontline care responsibilities, alongside existing administrative duties, at Middleton Hall Retirement Village.

Mukul Verma has been working to support people lacking mental capacity, suffering from learning disabilities and autism or mental illness during the pandemic. 

Esther Serem has provided opportunities that boost community livelihoods and help communities overcome the COVID-19 challenges, in her role with Save the Elephants.

Eugene Milne is Director of Public Health for Newcastle, and he has played a key role in steering the city through the pandemic.

James Kavanagh has been working on a number of projects of national significance in relation to the significant public health threat posed by the pandemic in his role as a Paralegal.

Dr Joe Cosgrove works on the frontline as Critical Care Outreach Lead. During the pandemic, he has been working with national organisations with respect to ethical decision-making, the provision of end-of-life care and advance care planning.

Karolina is a current Combined Honours student who has undertaken various roles to support her community in the pandemic, such as Processing and Test Assistant at the testing centre on campus.

Maria Athanasiou has taught over 1,000 hours of music sessions during the pandemic, helping her students keep up their progress and mental wellbeing without leaving anyone behind.

Martin Bexon is a specialist in the development of new medicines. Early in the pandemic he was invited to work as the dedicated Clinical Development lead for BioNTech in their COVID-vaccine programme (in partnership with Pfizer). They developed the first vaccine against SARS-CoV2 to be authorised and the first mRNA vaccine.

Naoíse Webster has changed the lives of many refugees and asylum seekers in the North East as a volunteer with NEST, as well as inspiring her fellow students to volunteer as well.

Phil Wood has dedicated his career to immunology and leads the largest teaching hospital trust in Europe as the CMO at Leeds Hospitals Teaching Trust.

Rebecca Hetherington has provided mental health and wellbeing support to thousands of children, parents and carers in the North East in her role as CEO and Director of Mindstars (NE) CIC.

Simon McKeown actively promoted the COVID-19 vaccination through his role as an urgent care doctor and medical director of the county public health department, contributing to a high early vaccination rate in the community.

Sophie Todd provided frontline healthcare in a COVID-19 dedicated A&E during the pandemic and volunteered as a qualified BACP registered psychotherapist for a women's charity, providing counselling and psychotherapy primarily for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Steven Li is an active member of the Newcastle University Alumni community internationally, keeping connections strong during the global pandemic.

Professor Sunil Bhandari has endeavoured to deliver excellent care while identifying how during COVID-19 we best support and deliver high quality research, education, training, mentorship and resilience.

Umar Bin Mohamad Sahari supported Singapore's effort in fighting against COVID-19 by joining a testing facility in ASTAR capable of testing up to 10,000 samples a day, which allowed the nation to mass test, which resulted in 0 community cases in Singapore.

Maisie Ryan was a Doctor who sadly passed away in February 2021. She worked on the frontline during the pandemic as well as contributing to Newcastle Marrow, Anthony Nolan’s network of student volunteers.