13/06/2026
Darwin Emeritus Professor Carol Brayne has been appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to medicine, medical research and public health in the King’s Birthday Honours, announced today.
A Fellow of Darwin since 1995, Carol held the Cambridge University professorship in public health medicine from 2001 to 2024 and is Senior Visiting Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry. She was Director of the Institute of Public Health, then co-director of the University’s Cambridge Public Health IRC until her retirement. Her studies of ageing populations, which she led for four decades, have provided pioneering understanding of how dementia, frailty, and healthy ageing are experienced in communities.
“I feel very honoured by this award, especially its recognition of public health,” she says.
“I thank all those with whom I have worked over the decades, including my teams and their leaders, public health colleagues locally, regionally and nationally, my collaborators and those who I have had the privilege to train. I would also thank our study participants, their families and all those who have supported our research programmes making them so valuable for understanding health in ageing societies. And, above all, my family,” she said.
Enormous congratulations to Carol, on behalf of the Darwin community!
