Pioneering Carmarthenshire-born cancer surgeon honoured with prestigious award
Myrddin Rees's work has provided many cancer patients with the chance of long-term survival
A Carmarthenshire-born liver cancer surgeon has spoken of his pride after being awarded a prestigious accolade by the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
Myrddin (Merv) Rees OBE, who was born in the village of Drefach, near Llanelli, is a world-renowned surgeon at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) Basingstoke, has been presented with the Clement Price Thomas Medal.
The medal is presented in recognition of meritorious contributions to surgery.
Mr Rees who attended Gwendraeth Valley Grammar School, is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Ad Hominem, and a widely-acknowledged leader in the field of hepatobiliary (liver and bile duct) surgery.
He said: “I am proud and honoured to have my contribution to the medical
world recognised by the award of the Clement Price Thomas Medal.
"It has been a privilege to be able to make a positive difference to the lives of so many people.
“Receiving the award is one of the highlights of my career, I am grateful to my family and the many colleagues I have worked with, as I could not have achieved all that I have without their support.”
In the 1980s, Mr Rees, who has co-authored more than 140 scientific papers, pioneered safe liver resection in the UK, when many medical professionals saidthat it could not be done, without the risk of massive blood loss and death.
After learning about the bloodless operating technique from eminent surgeon Johannes Scheele in Germany, Mr Rees introduced the practice in Basingstoke, where he had been appointed as a consultant surgeon.
This has provided many cancer patients the chance of long-term survival, with a good quality of life.
The citation at the presentation ceremony at the Royal College of Surgeons was read by Professor Peter Friend, a renowned consultant transplant and hepatobiliary surgeon, from Oxford.
He said: “Merv is a pioneer and a surgeon who has really made a difference, notonly to his patients, of whom there are an astonishing number, but also to his surgical field of liver surgery.
“It’s important to remember that when Merv started in Basingstoke, liver resection was not widely accepted in terms of therapeutic benefit and it wascertainly not for the faint-hearted.
“Merv has been at the centre of the evolution of this surgical sub-speciality,which is now routinely performed at regional centres, with a mortality rate ofless than two per cent.
“The unit at Basingstoke is still one of the country’s leading referral centres. Mervand a surprisingly small team of colleagues carry out more than 175 liver resections every year, with a total number approaching 4,000 over the years.
"To have achieved all this in what is still a medium-sized district general hospital is atruly extraordinary achievement.”
As well as highlighting Mr Rees’ distinguished medical career, Prof Friend told members how the father of three received an honorary DSc from the Universityof Wales Trinity St David in 2016, and was awarded the OBE for services to livercancer surgery in 2021.
Furthermore, he has been the driving force behind some landmark charity fundraising campaigns.
Prof Friend also noted: “Unlike many high achievers, Merv has taken clinical and managerial colleagues with him – and that’s no mean feat.”
As well as being a leading liver cancer surgeon, Mr Rees, an avid Welsh rugby supporter, is a Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire, and a trustee of Ark CancerCharity, Pelican Cancer Foundation, and The Ark Medical Trust, a leading regional, national and international centre for medical education in Basingstoke.
Mr Rees is pictured above left with with Royal College of Surgeons of England President Professor Neil Mortensen after being presented with the Clement Price Thomas Medal.
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