Dr Matthew Newport

Subjects studied at Holy Cross:

Biology, Chemistry, Psychology

(2003-2005) 

Matthew Newport was invited to Buckingham Palace in February 2025 to receive the Humanitarian Medal from King Charles. 

The medal, which was first introduced in 2023, recognises the service of people who work to support human welfare during or in the aftermath of a crisis.  

Matthew, who works at the Royal Blackburn Hospital, was deployed to Gaza five times over 12 months by the UK-Med charity as part of the UK Government's humanitarian response to the Israel/Gaza crisis.  

He said: “I really enjoy being a doctor in the NHS, but I’ve also been really privileged to travel a lot in a humanitarian capacity. It’s difficult work, but I feel privileged to get stuck into some really difficult situations abroad.  

“I was hugely honoured to be invited to get the Humanitarian Medal, presented by King Charles. The ability to go from being a younger man to being at Buckingham Palace, having been away for a year in really difficult circumstances – there’s a big part of me that attributes that output to the time I spent at Holy Cross, for sure. 

“The staff here see thousands of students, but they take the time to treat you as an individual, to understand where you’re coming from, where you could go and set you on the right path. I look back at my time at Holy Cross very positively and very fondly.”