A brilliant Covid scientist who advised Downing Street over the handling of the pandemic died from severe head injuries on a cycling holiday in Italy despite wearing a crash helmet.
Susannah Boddie, from Park Corner in Nettlebed near Henley, Oxfordshire, was a leading health data scientist at No 10 Downing Street.
During the COVID pandemic, she offered advice to the UK Government in its handling of the health crisis.
Her work helped tackle some of the biggest challenges in the NHS, from cutting waiting lists to improving urgent and emergency care.
A coroner opened an inquest into the tragic death of the 27-year-old by reading from a pathologist’s report which spoke of the post-mortem examination results.
Susannah Boddie was a leading health data scientist at No 10 Downing Street
Susannah’s parents paid tribute to their ‘brilliant’ daughter and sister after the tragic accident
Pictured: people attend the scene of the incident in Navazzo di Gargnano near Lake Garda
Ms Boddie was killed while cycling on a path in woods on the Brescia side of Lake Garda in Italy around 10am in the morning
Susannah was returning to Verona from the Dolomite Mountains when the accident happened
But, a full inquest into the death of the Cambridge-educated scientist will not take place until March next year, Senior Oxfordshire Coroner Darren Salter revealed.
The opening hearing heard that Susannah was killed in a crash while cycling together with her partner on the Brescia side of Lake Garda in Italy on August 11 this year.
The pair were returning to Verona from the Dolomite Mountains when the accident happened.
It was understood that Susannah sustained fatal injuries when she was thrown off her bike as she descended a steep downhill trail in woodland near the lake.
Her partner, Robert Johnson, was witness to the fall and called paramedics who raced to the scene.
Sadly, they were unable to revive the young woman. Her partner, Robert Johnson, also aged 27, was not physically injured but was taken to hospital in a state of shock.
A post-mortem examination determined the cause of death to be a ‘severe head injury’ despite the fact that Ms Boddie was wearing a safety helmet when she fell.
Opening the inquest Mr Salter said: ‘It is reported that whilst on holiday in Italy Ms Boddie had an accident whilst cycling which sadly resulted in her death.
File image shows an Italian air ambulance in June 2022. An emergency helicopter was dispatched from Verona but was unable to help , who died on impact
‘There were no other vehicles or persons involved in the accident. Following a post-mortem examination, the cause of her death has been given as a severe head injury.’
Susannah’s parents, Simon, aged 63 years and Sarah, aged 62 years and older brothers Oliver, aged 32 years and 29-year-old James, paid tribute to their ‘brilliant’ daughter and sister.
The tribute said: ‘She was the loveliest, kindest person who always inspired and cared for others and was adored by all her many friends. She will leave the biggest hole in our family and that of Rob, her much-loved partner.’
A Downing Street spokesman added: ‘She was brilliant and a shining example of the very best of those who chose to dedicate their lives to public service. She will be greatly missed by all those who knew her at No 10 and the wider civil service.’
Ms Boddie lived in London in the week but regularly returned to the family home in Park Corner, Henley, where she grew up and would often cycle to.
Ms Boddie was educated at Highmoor Nursery School, Rupert House School in Henley-on-Thames and St Helen’s and St Katharine’s School in Abingdon, Oxfordshire before going on to study at Cambridge University.
She graduated in 2018 with a degree in pharmacology, before studying for a Masters in systems biology.
She began working as a data scientist in 2019 and joined Downing Street’s data science team in February 2021. She was promoted in December last year.
Her father, finance director at Oxford University, and mother, a vet at the Larkmead veterinary practice in Cholsey, Oxfordshire, described a ‘driven’ and ‘happy’ young woman.
They said: ‘Susannah lived life to the full and had achieved so much in her short life.
‘She crammed in more into her life than you would have thought possible. She had an incredible determination and she pursued so many interests but still made time for everyone she cared about. Her memory will continue to inspire us in all we do.’