Professor May Ng was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List today for her commitments to improving the care of young people with diabetes and young people with autism.

The award-winning paediatrician has made a huge difference to individuals, families and communities through her work improving and delivering patient-centred diabetes care, raising awareness of autism and developing online e-learning education for healthcare professionals in the UK and internationally.

May joined Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust in 2009 as Consultant Paediatrician and Paediatric Endocrinologist where she is also now Associate Medical Director for Specialist Services.

She 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, and the children and families 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.”

Ann Marr, Chief Executive of Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust, said: “This is a well-deserved and wonderful honour for May. She is renowned for her dedication and commitment to the very best in diabetes medicine. It is an award that will come as no surprise to the thousands of parents whose children have benefitted from her expert care.”

Born in Malaysia as an ethnic minority Chinese, May has written more than 150 publications and authored three books “Me and My Hormones – What can go wrong” and “A Journey with Brendan” which details the personal struggles she faced raising her autistic son. Her latest book on “A guide to Type 1 Diabetes Management, Technology and Everything Else You Need To Know” is out this summer.