Words by the Health and Life Sciences Faculty PGR Team.
We are deeply saddened to let you know about the loss of our friend and colleague Laura Hand. Laura passed away on 10 February 2021 following a brief illness.
She had many friends across campus having joined the University in 2004 and working in several departments including the Accommodation Office, the Institute of Infection & Global Health and the Faculty PGR Student Experience Team. She briefly left the University to work in the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in a student experience role from 2007 to 2012.
In recent years she was responsible for administration of MRes programmes in the Faculty PGR Student Experience Team. She enjoyed caring for the students, commiserating with them when life was difficult and cheering them on with their successes. One of her favourite events was the annual Faculty PGR Poster Day and she would often have a queue of students wanting to chat with her as she went about her duties. Likewise, she was a trusted confidante to colleagues. She had a big heart and would try to do everything she could to help others.
Her friends across campus will testify of her wonderful humour and ability to find herself in hilarious situations that even a comedy screenwriter wouldn’t be able to pull off. Our team will very much miss her beautiful smile and ability to have us all in stitches telling stories about her latest antics.
To honour Laura’s contribution to supporting students on the MRes programmes in the Faculty, the MRes in Healthy Musculoskeletal Ageing (CIMA) has named a prize in her memory. The Laura Hand Prize for Outstanding Project Work will be awarded annually to recognise a student’s contribution to research in ageing.
Laura adored her family and especially her daughter Ellie who she was very proud of. Our thoughts are with Ellie, Laura’s parents and sister, and the wider family at this sad time.
Laura’s funeral will be held on Thursday 4th March 2021 at 1:30pm at Thornton Crematorium (L23 1TP).
Donations in Laura’s memory can be made to Ochre who support awareness of oesophageal cancer: https://www.ochrecharity.org.uk/