Ara Darzi, Baron Darzi of Denham

Ara Darzi, Baron Darzi of Denham, KBE (born May 7, 1960), is one of the world's leading surgeons, specialising in the field of minimally invasive and robot-assisted surgery, having pioneered many new techniques and technologies.

Lord Darzi is of Armenian origin, however he spent much of his childhood in Ireland after moving there from Iraq where he was born. He is an Irish citizen. In 2002 he became a British citizen and was awarded a knighthood for his services to medicine and surgery. He is married to Wendy with whom he shares two children, Freddie and Nina.

Darzi joined Imperial College London in 1994, becoming Head of Division in 1998. He is a consultant surgeon at St. Mary's Hospital and Royal Marsden NHS trust with a large clinical practice Keyhole surgery. Professor Darzi and his team are internationally respected for their innovative work in the advancement of minimal invasive surgery and in the development and use of allied technologies including surgical robots and image-guided surgery. This work has received international recognition including the Hamdan Award for Medical Research Excellence in 2004. Professor Darzi is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Ireland, Edinburgh. He is also Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and more recently awarded an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering for his research contibution to Bioengineering research.

The innovative work of Professor Lord Darzi and his team in education and assessment of surgeons, including the use of simulations and virtual reality, is internationally recognised as showing the way forward for surgical education. They were awarded in 2001 the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Excellence in Higher and Further Education in recognition for achievements in pioneering new technologies to address training requirements for trainee surgeons, surgeons in post and other professionals.

On 29 June 2007 Darzi was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department of Health by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. He was created a life peer on 12 July as Baron Darzi of Denham, of Gerrards Cross in the County of Buckinghamshire.