Prof Bijan Modarai profile

We speak to Prof Bijan Modarai following his appointment as the new Director of the Centre for Academic Surgery and KHP Professor of Surgery.

Going back to the start of your career, why did you want to become a surgeon? 

I became interested in surgery early in medical school, drawn to a discipline that combines technical precision with holistic clinical care.  

A defining moment came early in my career when, as a junior doctor, I was assisted through my first major operation, an appendicectomy on Christmas Eve 1998. The immediacy of that experience, and the sense of responsibility and impact, was compelling. It confirmed for me that this was the right path.

What continued to motivate me was the intellectual challenge of understanding disease processes deeply enough to intervene effectively, and the opportunity to continually refine both judgement and skill. Although I was aware early on of the demands of the profession, I ultimately chose to pursue what I was most passionate about and have never looked back. Over time, that interest evolved into academic surgery, where you can not only treat individual patients but also shape how we understand and manage disease more broadly. 

You’ve worked within KHP since 2012, please can you pick out a few professional highlights of your time here? 

I have been fortunate enough to work within a very formative environment, and a number of highlights stand out. 

First, helping to establish a complex endovascular aortic repair service that is now internationally recognised and one of the largest in Europe, a genuinely collaborative, interdisciplinary endeavour bringing together surgeons, interventionalists, and perioperative medicine specialists. At the centre of all of this are the patients, and we must never lose sight of the privilege inherent in being entrusted with their care, particularly when undertaking high risk, complex interventions. I still remember individual patients in whom we have performed particularly daunting procedures and seen them recover well. Those moments are profoundly rewarding and serve as a constant reminder of why we do what we do. 

Second, building a translational research programme that now integrates vascular biology, data science, and computational modelling, supported by successive fellowships from the British Heart Foundation and leveraged to grow a broad, multi-faceted research portfolio across the Academic Department of Vascular Surgery and the School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine & Sciences, with clear progression to early phase clinical translation. 

Third, developing and supporting the academic pipeline has been a central and deeply rewarding part of my work. There is something uniquely energising about identifying talented, motivated individuals early, those with real intellectual curiosity and drive, and creating the conditions in which they can thrive. Supporting them, challenging them, and seeing that initial potential translate into confidence, independence, and ultimately leadership in their own right is immensely fulfilling. Watching colleagues grow into successful academic surgeons, shaping their own programmes and mentoring others in turn, is one of the most meaningful and enduring contributions one can make to the field. 

Finally, being entrusted with the KHP Professorship and Directorship is both a privilege and a significant responsibility, and I am particularly motivated by the opportunity to work with outstanding colleagues across King’s Health Partners to deliver meaningful impact together. 

Congratulations on your new role as KHP Professor of Surgery. What ambitions do you have for KHP Academic Surgery? 

The opportunity within KHP is quite unique because of the scale and depth of the clinical academic partnership, combining a very high volume of clinical work across our hospital sites with exceptional academic strength and infrastructure. That combination is rare and creates a powerful environment in which discoveries can be translated rapidly from pre-clinical science into clinical studies, and it is a key reason why KHP attracts outstanding clinicians, scientists, and trainees. My ambition is to position academic surgery as a central driver of that partnership. 

Practically, that means ensuring that what we do is directly relevant to surgical colleagues so they feel engaged, invested, and compelled to contribute, while strengthening integration between clinical services and research so that innovation translates more rapidly into patient care. It also means breaking down traditional silos and fostering a genuine sense of surgical community across sites and specialties, using the Centre for Academic Surgery as a visible, connected network that promotes a “team science” approach to shared challenges.  

A key priority will be to better showcase and connect the considerable strengths we already have at KHP in research and innovation, making these more visible and accessible to catalyse interdisciplinary collaboration, attract major competitive funding, and deliver high impact outputs. Alongside this, one of our goals will be to support the next generation by creating a clear and inclusive pathway from student to senior academic surgeon, ensuring a sustainable and diverse academic pipeline. 

Finally, I see a major opportunity to further raise our international profile, positioning KHP as a leading global environment for interdisciplinary surgical research and innovation. Ultimately, the aim is to ensure that academic surgery contributes directly to the KHP strategy, particularly in delivering personalised care, accelerating digital innovation, and improving population health through strong clinical academic partnership. 

Away from work, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time? 

Outside work, I try to keep active and spend time outdoors whenever I can, and one of the things I particularly enjoy is fishing. I have spent many very happy hours fishing with my son over the years, although he has now grown up, it is something I would very much like to return to when time allows.  

I have also been a long standing enthusiast of motor racing since my teens and continue to follow Formula 1 closely, making the effort to attend the British Grand Prix when I can.  

I have been fortunate through my work to travel internationally, and over the years it has been a privilege to experience different cultures, explore new places, and enjoy the diversity of food and ways of life.  

I am also very fortunate to have friends across the world, which makes these experiences all the more meaningful and provides the opportunity to spend time with them in different settings. 

Find out more about the work of KHP Academic Surgery.