Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham OM KBE PC FRS FMedSci HonFREng

"As Mildmay’s newest patron, I was honoured and moved by my first visit to the hospital. Witnessing the exceptional care, compassion, and innovation shown by the healthcare professionals at Mildmay Hospital has made a strong impression on me. I am inspired by the courage and resilience of the people they serve.

I am delighted to support this remarkable institution and its dedicated staff, and I look forward to working with them to advance their mission of providing outstanding healthcare, promoting holistic well-being, and making a lasting impact on the lives of patients and communities they serve."

June 2023

Professor Darzi holds the Paul Hamlyn Chair of Surgery at Imperial College London, the Royal Marsden Hospital, and the Institute of Cancer Research. He is the Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London and Chair of Imperial College Health Partners. He is an Honorary Consultant Surgeon at Imperial College Hospital NHS Trust.

Research led by Professor Darzi is directed towards achieving best surgical practice through innovation in surgery and enhancing patient safety and the quality of healthcare. His contribution to these research fields has been outstanding, publishing over 800 peer-reviewed research papers to date. In recognition of his achievements in the research and development of surgical technologies, Professor Darzi has been elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering; a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and in 2013 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

He was knighted for his services in medicine and surgery in 2002. In 2007, he was introduced to the United Kingdom’s House of Lords as Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham and appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health. Upon relinquishing this role within central government in 2009, Professor Darzi sat as the United Kingdom’s Global Ambassador for Health and Life Sciences until March 2013. During this appointment and beyond, Professor Darzi has developed his status as a leading voice in the field of global health policy and innovation. He currently sits as a Council Member for the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and has been a member of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council since June 2009. In January 2016, Professor Darzi was awarded the Order of Merit by Her Majesty the Queen for exceptionally meritorious service towards the advancement of medicine.

In 2024, Prof Lord Darzi was appointed by the government to lead an independent investigation into the NHS.