GOSH surgeon receives prestigious international award

Professor De Coppi has become only the second paediatric surgeon in the UK to receive the distinction, awarded to surgeons from outside the United States who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of surgery, research, education and patient care.

An internationally renowned clinician-scientist at GOSH and University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (UCL GOS ICH), Professor De Coppi is also a Consultant Paediatric Surgeon, Nuffield Chair of Paediatric Surgery, co-theme lead of the Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine theme in the NIHR GOSH Biomedical Research Centre, and a NIHR Research Professor. His lab team are base at the Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children.

Over the course of his career, Professor De Coppi has transformed the treatment of children with complex congenital conditions through pioneering surgical innovation and regenerative medicine research. His work has spanned fetal surgery, minimally invasive surgery, stem cell science and tissue engineering, helping to improve outcomes for children around the world.

At GOSH, he has led and contributed to a number of groundbreaking advances, including the UK's first in-utero surgery for a baby with a rare bowel condition, pioneering research using nanodiamonds and hormones to stimulate lung growth in babies with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, developed a pioneering method to grow organoids from stem cells during pregnancy, and world-leading work to engineer replacement oesophageal tissue for children born with oesophageal atresia.

In 2020, Professor De Coppi became the first paediatric surgeon elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and in 2024 he was named in the inaugural TIME100 Health List of the world's 100 most influential people in health.

Professor De Coppi said: "I am deeply touched and honoured to receive this Honorary Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons. This recognition reflects the support and collaboration of many colleagues, mentors, researchers and clinical teams I have worked with throughout my career – not to mention the families who put their trust in us.

"Everything we achieve is driven by a shared commitment to improving the lives of children and families. I am proud to be part of a community at GOSH and UCL that continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in paediatric surgery and regenerative medicine."

Karl Munslow Ong, Chief Executive at GOSH, said: "This is a hugely deserved honour for Professor De Coppi and recognition of his outstanding contribution to paediatric surgery, both at GOSH and internationally.

"His pioneering work has transformed care for babies, children, and young people with some of the most complex conditions and has helped establish GOSH as a global leader in innovation, research and surgical excellence. We are delighted to see his achievements recognised in this way."

The Honorary Fellowship will be formally conferred by the American College of Surgeons at its forthcoming Clinical Congress.

Professor Lewis Spitz, paediatric surgeon at GOSH, was the first UK paediatric surgeon to receive an Honorary Fellowship to the American College of Surgeons in 2012.