Guy's and St Thomas' surgeon wins prestigious national award

A Guy’s and St Thomas’ surgeon has won a prestigious national award for making an outstanding contribution to the treatment of kidney, bladder, prostate and male reproductive problems.

Mr Ben Challacombe, a consultant urologist, was awarded the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) Karl Storz Harold Hopkins Golden Telescope award.

The award is given to clinicians who have made a significant contribution to urology, a medical specialism covering prostate cancer, kidney damage and bladder problems. 

Mr Challacombe was recognised for helping to develop robotic surgery in urology, contributing to consultant mentoring, and his role as the BAUS oncology Chairman. 

He is the third consultant from the Guy’s and St Thomas’ urology department to receive the award. Professor Prokar Dasgupta was awarded in 2006 and Mr Tim O’Brien in 2009. Guy’s and St Thomas’ is the only Trust in the country to have three recipients. 

Mr Ben Challacombe said: “It’s a huge honour to receive the British Association of Urological Surgeons Golden Telescope award. I’m very thankful to Guy’s and St Thomas’ and the urology department for the support I have received.

“I really couldn’t do my job without their continued encouragement and enthusiasm. The Trust has really invested in me and I feel very proud to work for the Guy’s and St Thomas’ urology department.

“We perform 450 cases of robotic surgery a year at Guy's Hospital as part of our large robotic surgery programme and we consistently strive to provide our patients with the very best care and treatments.

“It’s a great testament to the work we do that I am the third consultant from our Trust to have received this prestigious national award.”

Ben Challacombe joined Guy's and St Thomas' in 2010 following his training in Australia. In 2016 he performed the first live robotic partial nephrectomy (partial kidney removal) in the UK. He has performed more than 600 robotic procedures.

The award, which is funded by Karl Storz Endoscopy, is made by the BAUS on the recommendation of a medals and awards committee which includes the President, Vice President, and Honorary Secretary.