Dr I Gavin Wright

Qualified MB ChB at the University of Rhodesia in 1977, Obtained LRCP(Edin),LRCS(Edin),LRCP&S(Glas) in Scotland in 1977. Trained in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at the University of Cape Town, qualifying FCA(SA) in 1983. Consultant until April 1986 at Groote Schuur Hospital and Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town. Latterly purely cardiac and transplant surgery, including running the cardiac intensive care unit for Prof Chris Barnard. Visiting Fellow at Papworth Hospital, Cambridgeshire (cardiothoracic including transplantation) April to December 1986. Provided anaesthesia & intensive care for the world's second Total Artificial Heart implantation and subsequent transplantation. Moved to Harefield Hospital as Locum Consultant in December 1986 by invitation, and appointed Substantive Consultant June 1987. Harefield became the world's busiest heart and lung transplant unit, peaking at ~260 transplants (including children) a year, and introducing many innovations, under the leadership of Prof Sir Magdi Yacoub. The paediatric cardiac surgery programme was active and again innovative. Latterly, busy Ventricular Assist Device, total artificial heart and ECMO (external lung &/or heart support) programmes have developed, as have busy primary angioplasty and electrphysiology services. I was invited to work at Great Ormond Street (Children's) Hospital in 2008 for a 6 month period to introduce ultra-fast track cardiac anaesthesia, teach anaesthetists Transoesophageal Echocardiography, and use my expertise in transplantation and VADs, the paediatric transplant programme having moved there from Harefield. I resigned from full time practice at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust in 1986, but work there about one day a week under an Honorary Contract, I work in the private sector and overseas (see below) the rest of the time, mainly in cardiac, neurosurgery, ENT, general surgery, endoscopy, radiology and plastics. I am the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Chain of Hope, which is a charity founded by Prof Sir Magdi Yacoub, cardiologist R. Radley-Smith and myself in 1998, whose focus is the development of sustainable paediatric cardiac centres in the developing world (11 countries), a humanitarian refugee (mostly Syrian) surgical programme, and bringing children for surgery or cardiology interventional proceedures (thereby avoiding surgery) to our network of partner hospitals. We currently undertake about 18 "missions" to our target countries a year, operating on children and providing education and development to the local centres.

Cardiothoracic, including paediatric Neurosurgery, including paediatric