I will never forget the extent of the damage in the city and the incredible resilience of the people of Derna. I always had an interest in humanitarian work and after moving from Italy to work as a midwife in the UK, I decided to pursue a MSc in Global Health at King's. I truly enjoyed the two years at King's, where I met inspirational people. After the course, I was employed as a sexual health research manager at the King's Centre for Global Health, working with Dr Paula Baraitser on a portfolio of sexual health studies. This working experience enabled me to join the UK-Med register as a data manager and that was the start of my humanitarian career.
Alessandra Morelli
06 March 2025
King's student awarded Humanitarian Medal by His Majesty King Charles III
The new award recognises extraordinary service in response to humanitarian emergencies
On 18 February, Alessandra Morelli was awarded a Humanitarian medal for her work in Libya in 2023 following Storm Daniel.
On 10 September 2023, Libya was affected by Storm Daniel, which caused failures or two dams and flooding. About 10% of the population died, including 101 healthcare workers. UK-Med, delivery partner of the UK Emergency Medical Team-UK Government’s frontline health response to disasters overseas, deployed to Libya on 27 September a multi-national team comprised of doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, and support staff, of which Alessandra was a part. The deployment was funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
The team began providing mobile health care one week later in Derna, through direct support to primary health clinics. Alessandra was deployed as a data manager and midwife, providing training to Libyan midwives and obstetricians, and managing data collection and reporting for the deployment.
Alessandra started at King's doing an MSc in Global Health. She has recently returned to King's as a student of the PgDip in Clinical Research Delivery, as she's now working as a senior research midwife.