Lifetime for the liver

"Darius has always prioritized his role as a teacher to all members of the transplant team. He has transformed the lives of many patients and families with his skill and knowledge as a surgeon, his care for his patients and the support he has given to colleagues nationally and internationally,” noted a citation presented to Dr Darius Mirza who was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by the British Transplant Society (BTS) on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.

Dr Darius Mirza

Consultant at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Birmingham Children’s Hospital, UK, and professor of hepatobiliary (connected with liver, gall bladder and bile) and transplant surgery at the University of Birmingham, Mirza is reputed for pioneering liver transplants among children. "His greatest professional skill is his ability to communicate with patients, whether adult, teenager or child, finding the ability to engage in conversation and putting them at ease… before discussing medical information in a language they can understand,” added the citation.
"The recipients of this honor must exhibit evidence of outstanding contributions to the past, present and future care of transplant patients, exemplify leadership in areas such as academic scholarship, research, administration, policy development, education, and clinical and/or scientific practice,” specified the BTS website. The eligibility criteria expected a nominee to have practiced as a transplant professional for 20 years or more with a reputation as an outstanding professional with innovative approaches to diagnosis, treatment or care of transplant patients and/or living donors. An outstanding academic/research portfolio, evidence of visiting professorships or invitations to speak nationally or internationally, advocacy on public policy matters impacting transplantation, leadership roles in regional, national and/or international professional organizations related to transplantation were the other factors that were taken into consideration by a 10-member nominations review committee.
"It is a proud moment for us as parents,” noted a message from his dentist father Firoze and mother Elinor when they informed Parsiana about Darius’s recent accomplishments. An alumnus of St Mary’s School, St Xavier’s College and G. S. Medical College in Bombay, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Darius was keen to share his international expertise in liver transplants to benefit the populace in this city. He thus took a year’s sabbatical to set up a liver transplant unit at the 500-bed Apollo Hospital in New Bombay which has been functional since 2017. Author and co-author of many professional publications and journals, Darius has been invited as lecturer to many countries.