The founder of UK-Med, Professor Tony Redmond OBE, has been appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the New Year’s Honours, recognising a lifetime dedicated to emergency medicine and humanitarian response around the world.
Professor Sir Tony Redmond, Emeritus Professor of International Emergency Medicine at the University of Manchester, founded UK-Med more than 30 years ago to ensure experienced clinicians could be rapidly deployed to global emergencies. That vision has grown into one of the UK’s leading medical humanitarian organisations.
In 2025 alone, UK-Med has responded to 12 emergencies worldwide, deploying medical teams to crises including in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Lebanon, and continuing its long-standing support to health services in Ukraine.
The scale of UK-Med’s work is most visible in Gaza, where since January 2024 the organisation has established and operated two field hospitals and supported the emergency department at Nasser Hospital, delivering emergency and specialist care to more than 900,000 people amid an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.
David Wightwick CMG, CEO of UK-Med, said:
“This is an extraordinary and well-deserved honour for Tony. His commitment to professional, high-quality emergency care has shaped UK-Med from the very beginning. As our teams respond to multiple emergencies in a single year and continue to deliver care at an unprecedented scale in Gaza, this recognition reflects the impact of his leadership and values.”
Professor Sir Tony Redmond KCMG OBE said:
“I am deeply honoured and genuinely humbled by this recognition. What matters most to me is that UK-Med has grown into a leading force in the humanitarian world, delivering care where it is needed most. I am especially proud that an organisation with such deep roots in the Northwest and Manchester continues to have a global impact, driven by the skill, commitment and compassion of its people.”
The award highlights Professor Redmond’s exceptional and long-term contributions to healthcare and humanitarian response, both in the UK and internationally. As a world-leading specialist in emergency medicine, he has played a pivotal role in coordinating the deployment of UK health workers to international crises, saving countless lives and revolutionising emergency medical care globally.
NOTE TO EDITORS
UK-Med is a frontline medical charity and WHO-verified Emergency Medical Team delivering expert health responses to disasters, conflicts, and disease outbreaks worldwide. Drawing on decades of humanitarian and NHS experience, UK-Med provides high-quality, life-saving medical care to communities in crisis.
Since 2016, we also operate the UK Emergency Medical Team (UK EMT) where we provide emergency healthcare in humanitarian contexts on behalf of the UK Government. Funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), we are the frontline of the UK’s medical response to disasters around the world.
