An A&E doctor has been awarded an OBE for his work in health care overseas including teaching medical skills in Ukraine.
Dr Paul Ransom has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours List for his work in countries such as Armenia, Haiti and most recently in Eastern Ukraine following the Russian invasion.
Dr Ransom, who previously worked at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, was included as part of the overseas honours list and will receive his award at an investiture ceremony.
He said: “When you work with people in conflict areas there seem so many others who clearly deserve it more.
I hope that having this award will give me more influence to assist people affected by conflict, humanitarian disaster or disease outbreaks.”
Dr Ransom worked at the hospital in Brighton for nearly two decades as an emergency consultant before his work in humanitarian aid.
He volunteers with the UK-Med medical aid charity as part of a medical team to provide training in areas hit by crisis or disaster.
His work includes working in Haiti following the earthquake in the country, working in a Covid-19 hospital in Armenia and, most recently, teaching emergency care skills in war-torn Ukraine.
He is also the medical lead for the HALO Trust, a de-mining agency aiming to decrease to burden of conflict around the world.
Professor Rob Galloway, emergency consultant at University Hospitals Sussex, said: “Paul has been a friend and colleague of mine for the last 20 years.
“We have been so lucky to work with him, and his patients have been so lucky to have been cared for by him. But it’s his work outside of the area doing international humanitarian work which is truly inspirational and there is no one who is more worthy of this award than Paul.”
Dr Ransom is one of a number of people in Sussex who have been recognised in the New Year’s Honours list.
Others to be recognised in the list include a disability campaigner, a woman who works with neurodivergent people, and a St John Ambulance volunteer who has worked for over 65 years.
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