Geoff Oates Award

In honour of Geoffrey Donald Oates and to recognise an outstanding achievement and contribution to the colorectal cancer surgery, BASO announced the 'Geoff Oates Award' in 2014.

Geoffrey Donald Oates known as "Geoff" was born in Wolsingham, county Durham, in 1929, graduating with a first class honours degree in anatomy and physiology from birmingham in 1950. He went on to pursue postgraduate surgical training and a life-time surgical career in Birmingham, combining the roles of Consultant Surgeon and Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University there with six-year spell as Chairman of the Division of Surgery of the United Birmingham Hospitals.

His interest in the treatment of cancer developed from a year spent with Warren Cole at the University of Illinois, Chicago, as a Research Fellow and Instructor in Surgery. His work on experimental and clinical aspects of tumour metastases set the scene for a lifelong career in pursuit of optimal outcomes for patients with cancer.

Geoff was one of the first surgeons in England to introduce the concept of "Surgical Oncology". He founded the oncology section of the Royal Society of Medicine; the British Association of Surgical Oncology; and the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, whose Inaugural president he became in 2000.

Predeceased in 1971 by his first wife, Mollie, he leaves a widow, Liz, and two children from his marriage to Mollie; his son John is a Consultant ENT Surgeon and a leading expert on otology.

Geoff died suddenly in Switzerland, aged 84, en route from his adopted home in Verbier to attend the 2013 BASO Conference.

2023 Miss Rachel Hargest

2022 Professor Peter Sagar

2021 Professor Robert Steele

2020 award postponed

2019 Miss Asha Senapati

2018 Professor Lord Ara Darzi

2017 Ms Karen Nugent

2016  Professor OJ Garden

2015  Professor Sue Clark

2014  Professor Dion Morton