Professor the Lord Ara Darzi of Denham is widely recognised as one of the defining pioneers of minimally invasive and robotic surgery in the UK. He performed the country’s first clinical procedure using the da Vinci surgical system - a robot-assisted keyhole gallbladder operation that helped usher robotic surgery into British clinical practice. He went on to co-found and co-direct Imperial College London’s Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery, advancing work across medical robotics, image-guided intervention, virtual-reality surgical training, patient safety and healthcare innovation. Lord Darzi is Professor of Surgery and Co-Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London, and formerly served as a UK Health Minister. He will open RISEUK26 with the Special Address, Rewriting Surgery: Robotics, AI and What Comes Next.

Professor Gary Ford is Chief Executive of Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley, leading the adoption and spread of innovation across the region’s health and care system since 2013. He is also Professor of Stroke Medicine at the University of Oxford and a practising consultant stroke physician at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He has held senior national roles including Chair of the AHSN Network, non-executive director at NICE, and roles with NIHR and South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

Professor Prokar Dasgupta is a world-leading robotic urological surgeon and internationally recognised pioneer of robotic surgery. He is Professor of Robotic Surgery and Urological Innovation at King’s College London and former Editor-in-Chief of BJUI. He has played a major role in training and mentoring robotic surgeons worldwide and has authored over 1,100 academic publications.

Professor Jonathan Sackier is an internationally renowned surgeon, technology innovator and physician entrepreneur. He played a role in the development of AESOP, the first commercial surgical robot, and has worked across robotic surgery, telemedicine, rehabilitation robotics and medical technology ventures on both sides of the Atlantic. He is Chief Medical Officer and a board member of AiM Medical Robotics, which is developing MRI-compatible robotic systems for image-guided intervention. He has also served as Visiting Professor of Surgery at the University of Oxford and Professor at George Washington University.

Professor Kevin Barry is Director of National Surgical Training Programmes at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and a Consultant General Surgeon at Mayo University Hospital. He has played a major role in postgraduate surgical training, assessment and surgical education, and was inducted into the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators in recognition of his contribution to the field. His work brings a vital surgical training and workforce perspective to RISEUK26.

Dr Patrick Dixon MBE is an internationally renowned futurist, keynote speaker and business thinker, widely regarded as one of Europe’s leading authorities on global trends and innovation. For more than 30 years, he has advised and spoken to over 400 of the world’s largest organisations, including Google, Microsoft, IBM and Siemens. Originally trained as a cancer physician, he has also advised leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Dr Robert Masson is an internationally recognised neurosurgeon specialising in minimally invasive spine surgery and sports spine medicine, holding over a dozen patents. He has performed over 13,000 procedures and trained over 1,000 surgeons worldwide. He is the world leader and inventor of the iMAS 360 lumbar reconstruction platform and an international destination for cervical arthroplasty.

Nuha Yassin is a Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at University Hospitals Birmingham and Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Birmingham. Specialising in minimally invasive and robotic surgery, her work focuses on colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. She is the UK’s first female national proctor for robotic colorectal surgery and serves on the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Thomas Ind is a Consultant Gynaecological Surgeon at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. He is generally considered the father of gynaecological robotic surgery in the UK, having performed the first robotic hysterectomy in 2007. He is a past president of BIARGS and SERGS, and is currently president of the British Gynaecological Cancer Society. He has more than two thousand robotic procedures to his name.

Mr Asit Arora is a Consultant Head and Neck Surgeon at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Senior Clinical Lecturer at King’s College London. He leads one of Europe’s largest transoral robotic surgery programmes and has been at the forefront of robotic head and neck surgery in the UK since helping pioneer TORS nationally in 2009. His work spans clinical innovation, engineering collaboration, early-stage evaluation of new robotic platforms and the development of structured TORS training for surgeons and multidisciplinary teams.

Professor Bindy Sahota is a Consultant Head and Neck and Robotic Surgeon and Professor of Head and Neck Cancer at the University of Derby. His specialist interests include transoral robotic surgery, laser surgery, thyroid disease and the treatment of benign and malignant head and neck conditions. Alongside his clinical work, he is actively involved in research, public awareness and improving outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer, bringing an important multidisciplinary and team-development perspective to RISEUK26.

Miss Francesca Ruccia is a Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at The Royal Marsden, where she leads the Bilateral Risk-Reducing Autologous Breast Reconstruction Programme and directs the Microsurgery Fellowship Programme. A recognised pioneer in robotic microsurgery, she has helped lead the clinical introduction of robotic-assisted microsurgical reconstruction in the UK, including its application to DIEP flap surgery and microvascular anastomosis. Her work combines complex reconstruction, surgical innovation, research and the training of the next generation of microsurgeons.

Dr James Allan is a Consultant Urologist and a leading figure in the development of robotic and remote surgery in Gibraltar. Working with the Gibraltar Health Authority, he helped shape the introduction of robotic surgery at St Bernard’s Hospital and the clinical systems required to deliver safe telesurgery for a small and geographically remote population. He and his Gibraltar-based team collaborated with Professor Prokar Dasgupta and The London Clinic to deliver the landmark London–Gibraltar telesurgery programme, in which patients in Gibraltar underwent robotic prostate surgery controlled remotely from London. The programme demonstrated how secure connectivity, robust local clinical support and international collaboration can widen access to specialist surgical care.

Prof Jag Dhanda is a dual-qualified oral and maxillofacial surgeon with a specialist focus on head and neck cancer ablation, complex reconstruction, free tissue transfer and microvascular surgery. He is Professor of Extended Reality in Medicine and Surgery and Founder and Clinical Lead of Virtual Reality in Medicine and Surgery (VRiMS), using immersive technology to transform surgical education and widen access to high-quality training. His work spans reconstructive surgery, robotic and image-guided innovation, extended reality, global surgical education and the development of multidisciplinary training across traditional specialty boundaries. He is a member of the RISEUK26 Organising Committee.

Mr Michael Mokawem is a Consultant Spinal Surgeon at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, an internationally recognised centre of excellence. He specialises in paediatric and adult spinal deformity and all aspects of complex spinal surgery. His practice places a strong emphasis on advanced technologies, including computer-navigated and robotic-assisted spinal surgery.

Dr Behnaz Sohani is a Lecturer in Robotics and Automation at Loughborough University, where she is a key member of the Intelligent Automation Centre. She holds a PhD in Robotics and Biomedical Engineering and brings extensive international research and teaching experience in intelligent systems for healthcare technologies. Her research sits at the intersection of robotics, artificial intelligence and medical imaging.

Dr Mamta Bajre is an experienced Health Economist and Methodologist working at the intersection of innovation, evidence generation and NHS decision making. As Head of Health Economics and Methodology at Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley, she supports early value assessment, identifies barriers to adoption and helps innovators meet NHS needs across medicines, diagnostics and medical technologies.

Ahmed Saad is an ST8 Trauma and Orthopaedic Registrar within the Birmingham Orthopaedic Training Programme. He has a strong clinical interest in lower limb arthroplasty, particularly hip and knee reconstruction, including complex primary and revision surgery. He has authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications, with several focusing on artificial intelligence and robotic-assisted technology in orthopaedics.

Professor Abbas Tejani is an Honorary Professor of Primary Care and Medical Education at the Centre for Primary Care Research and is actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. He is an excellent orator and has lectured across 5 continents. He has served on the Executive Board of his local hospital trust and as Clinical Lead for Health Inequalities at Leicester CCG. He is also a highly experienced skin surgeon and Director of Cornerstone Medical Education. Prof Tejani will be Conference Director for RISEUK26, bringing his excellent oratory to the stage.