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Mr Majid Mukadam, Cardiothoracic Organ Retrieval Surgeon and Transplant Specialist at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB), has been awarded the prestigious Exceptional Service Award at the NHS Blood and Transplant Awards for Excellence in Organ and Tissue Donation, Retrieval and Transplantation.

Majid has worked at UHB for almost 25 years and has made a significant contribution towards transplantation, particularly within organ retrieval surgery and promoting organ donation awareness within ethnic minority communities. He has overseen the care of more than 850 heart and lung transplants and has been instrumental in training retrieval surgeons and adopting new technologies at UHB.

Majid said: “I did not expect to receive this award, and I was really pleased and humbled. It was made even more special as this recognition came from my peers in transplantation and NHSBT.”

Majid, who has been awarded an MBE for his services to transplantation, first qualified in India before relocating to the UK and earning his qualification in cardiothoracic surgery. He initially planned to return to India, however accepted an opportunity within UHB’s Heart and Lung Transplant Unit in 2000.

He added: “Transplantation has many different elements, and each one is important for ensuring patients have good outcomes. I became fascinated with the organ retrieval aspect of transplantation and became aware of the challenges that were involved with it.

“So, I embraced retrieval and established my niche in this area. The importance of organ retrieval is now recognised nationally and internationally, with developing protocols and formalising regulations, and it was nice to be part of the national body that spearheaded these changes.

“Like other aspects of medicine, organ retrieval and preservation technology has evolved. It was important to keep pace with this and ensure that we didn’t lag behind, and I am really pleased that I could play a role in this.”

Majid’s work has also gone beyond retrieval surgery, having helped encourage thousands of people to join the organ donation register to combat organ shortages amongst the Asian community.

Majid said: “There is a real shortage in organ donors amongst the Asian community and I have been passionate in raising awareness about it.

“I wanted to see if I could go and educate the community, and we started going to community gatherings and places of worship. We would stand outside the mosque, handing out leaflets and talking about transplantation. We even had patients who had received transplants join us and talk to these communities. It was great to work with other organisations who shared a common goal of raising awareness. This was all to help reach more people and improve the awareness of organ donation, and we are seeing the benefit of that work.”

Reflecting on his career, Majid added: “When I started my career, I thought to myself that I can’t get a better role or help patients in a better way than working within transplantation.

“I’ve been lucky to see patients receive their transplant and their journey afterwards. Going from seeing how poorly they were and to seeing how well they are doing because of the transplant, I think that’s the best part of my job.

“Some patients will come back saying they are now grandparents or giving their children away at their weddings, and these are the kind of things that make me happy.”

Sally Austin, Hospital Operations Director for QEHB, said: “We are delighted and extremely proud that Majid has been recognised by NHSBT for his dedicated contribution to the field of cardiopulmonary organ retrieval and transplantation, which has benefited patients locally and nationally.

“His support and development of trainees and the wider transplant retrieval team will be a legacy of his commitment to this field of medicine. Majid is a truly inspiring colleague; our heartfelt congratulations on this hugely well-deserved award.”

Professor Kiran Patel, Chief Medical Officer at UHB, said: “Majid’s exceptional service and unwavering commitment to improving organ retrieval surgery and organ donation awareness has had a profound impact and made a lasting difference to the field.

“We couldn’t be prouder of Majid’s achievements, and we are thrilled to see his contributions being recognised at a national level.”