Highest honour for heart surgeon Rakesh
Congratulations to Professor Rakesh Uppal, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at our Barts Heart Centre, who has received a Fellowship Ad Hominem from the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh in recognition of his major contribution to cardiothoracic surgery services in the UK.
Rakesh, who is a Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery at Queen Mary University of London and Director of our Barts Life Sciences programme, was nominated for his outstanding clinical work and leadership roles within the specialty across three decades.
A Fellowship Ad Hominem recognises a person's professional status and contributions to the field. The award is considered one of the College's highest honours.
Upon receipt of the award, Rakesh said: "There is no greater recognition than that of one’s peers. I am truly humbled."
Reflecting on his career, he said: "I’ve learned over my 30 years as a consultant that teams are the backbone of excellence. I have absolute confidence in the perfusionists who run the heart lung machine, in my anaesthetic colleagues who are keeping an eye and manipulating physiology and my nursing colleagues who know what we need before even we do."
The RCSEd's purpose is to promote high standards in surgical education, training, and clinical practice.
It is one of the world's oldest surgical colleges, with its history dating back to 1505.
Pictured: Prof Uppal (centre) with RCSEd President Prof Rowan Parks (left) and Vice President Prof Tim Graham (right).
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