Ara Darzi was the first person to perform robotic surgery in Britain, taking on the traditionalists to trial the groundbreaking technology more than 20 years ago. He pioneered keyhole operations, championed AI diagnosis for breast cancer and introduced virtual reality simulations into medical school. “I’m not a risk-taker, but I am an explorer,” he says.
This world-famous surgeon and former health minister has always been a restless reformer. He slashed NHS waiting lists by setting up dedicated surgical hubs and transformed recovery rates for stroke patients in London by reconfiguring the hospitals to create a smaller number of specialist units. He is also the only person in politics who miraculously managed to get on with both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown when Labour was in
