Professor Prem Puri
Professor Prem Puri, Newman Clinical Research Professor at the UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science, has been awarded honorary citizenship of the city of Salamanca for his outstanding contribution to paediatric surgery. Prof Puri was awarded the honour at a special ceremony that took place at Salamanca’s Town Hall in Spain last month.
In addition to his position at UCD, Prof Puri is Director of Research at the Children’s Research Centre and Consultant Paediatric Surgeon at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Dublin. He is Programme Director for Paediatric Surgical Training in Ireland.
In the course of his research into the underlying mechanisms that cause common congenital birth defects, Prof Puri has pioneered the treatment of vesicoureteral reflux, a defect found in 1-2% of children, which causes retrograde flow of urine from the bladder into the ureters. Prof Puri and his team revolutionised the correction of this condition, replacing a major open surgical procedure with a 15 minute day care endoscopic procedure.
Prof Puri commented: “Throughout my career I have received numerous recognitions from my fellow peers for my research work. However, I was deeply honoured and humbled by this public recognition of my contribution to the advancement of paediatric surgery.”
David E. Doran, Chief Executive of the Children's Medical & Research Foundation at Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin commented: “Prem is absolutely unique. He continues to dazzle us here with the quality and width of his contribution to research. Professor Puri was the single biggest contributor to the research output of the UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science last year.”
Prof Puri is a multi-award winning researcher. Previous honours he has received include the People of the Year Award (1984), jointly with Professor Barry O’Donnell, for discovering endoscopic treatment of vesicoureteral reflux and the Kafka Medal (2006) for outstanding contribution to Paediatric Surgery.
Prof Puri also heads up a number of professional associations. He is President of the World Federation of Associations of Paediatric Surgeons, President-Elect and Chairman of the Scientific Office of the European Association of Paediatric Surgeons and Secretary of the International Board of Paediatric Surgical Research.
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