King's College London

A GHSM graduate is celebrating this week as the proud recipient of three sought after awards from King's.

Gaia Naccach, has been selected from amongst all King’s undergraduates as the 2024 winner of The Wellington Medal.

But that's not all - she was also the student from the Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy selected to receive the Jelf Medal.

And to top things off, she also won her Department's prize for the Most Outstanding Undergraduate Dissertation. 

Gaia, who studied for the BA Global Health & Social Science, said news of the Wellington Medal had come out of the blue.

The Wellington Medal is awarded each year to one outstanding undergraduate student at King’s College London in the year of their graduation. The award recognises high academic achievements and other contributions the student has made during their time at university to acknowledge their impressive future potential.

It was created by Arthur Wellesley, the 9th Duke of Wellington and former Chairman of the King’s College London Governing Council. 

On awarding the Medal, the selection panel highlighted the “remarkable achievement, reflecting your exceptional dedication, accomplishments and the high standards of excellence you have consistently demonstrated” and that in the face of particularly intense competition for the medal, Gaia’s selection was “a testament to [her] hard work and distinction among an outstanding group of peers".

During her time in GHSM, Gaia worked on developing the Anti-Racism Steering Group's archive as a research assistant and conducted a pilot study as part of King's Academy's Leadership Professional Development funding.

Dr. Nancy Tamimi, Senior Lecturer in Global Health and Social Medicine Education and member of the Anti-Racism Steering Group said:

"Besides her excellent academic aptitude, Gaia is a student with many skills, a dedication to excelling in every task she performs and a strong work ethic. As a research assistant for the Anti-Racism Steering Group in the Global Health and Social Medicine Department, Gaia played an instrumental role in developing and maintaining the Decolonising Global Health Archive. Moreover, Gaia’s significant contribution to evaluating modules in the department resulted in producing a report with important recommendations to improve our students’ learning experience."

The Jelf medal is awarded to a student from each Faculty who, in the view of the Principal, have most distinguished themselves during their undergraduate course in the college.

This includes the students' academic proficiency, but also to their prominence in the social and athletic activities of the College.

Commenting on the award, another of Gaia's lecturers, Dr Guntars Ermansons said he was delighted to hear that Gaia had received the 2024 Jelf Medal.

"Gaia consistently demonstrated exceptional engagement in lectures and seminars. Her questions were always insightful, and her contributions thoughtful and well-articulated. It comes as no surprise that she has gone on to pursue a Dual Master’s degree in Public Health and Public Policy at Sciences Po and the University Paris-Cité. Her achievements reflect her dedication and intellectual rigor, and I am very happy to see her hard work being recognised in this way."

Reflecting on her time here, Gaia said her time at King’s had been a journey of growth - intellectually, professionally, and personally.

“As an international student, adapting to a new country, language and academic system was initially challenging. However, I managed to find my path, driven by my continuous and genuine passion for my course, which enabled me not only to learn extensively, but also to enjoy doing so.

“For this, I am profoundly grateful to my professors for inspiring me with their knowledge, passion, and guidance. They embody the essence of GHSM and are a pillar of their students' success.”

Gaia also won the GHSM Most Outstanding Undergraduate Dissertation award for her project ‘Losing Weight Through Hashtags’.

Professor Carlo Caduff said it was a pleasure to work with Gaia as her supervisor. 

“In this original piece of research, Gaia focused on TikTok and examined discussions about the notorious ‘weight loss’ drug Ozempic. She highlighted the need of users to justify reliance on the drug due to health reasons and suggested that Ozempic reinforces the link between health and weight and thus makes the latter amenable to medical intervention.

“Gaia’s excellent dissertation demonstrates the power and relevance of critical social science research on contemporary issues – research that can reveal changing understandings of ‘health’ and how these understandings work as norms.”

Looking to the future, Gaia says she chose to study at King's because it aligns with her deepest hope: to make the world a better place.

“Driven by this aspiration, I aim to build a career within international organisations, where I can contribute to helping people, improving society and fostering peace.”

Gaia follows in the footsteps of a previous winner from the School of Global Affairs, Heather Needham, a Geography student who the recipient of the Wellington Medal in 2021.

It’s been a successful year in GHSM, which was also recognised in the 2025 Guardian University Guide where the BA in Global Health & Social Science and BSC in Global Health and Social Medicine were ranked number one in the UK amongst sociology and social policy degrees.