By Grant Smith, education reporter

DURING A career dedicated to the advancement of surgery, Professor Sir Alfred Cuschieri, of Dundee, has received many awards, including a knighthood and medals from the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Yesterday it was the turn of Dundee University—the place where he has worked for more than three decades to pioneer the techniques of keyhole surgery—to honour his achievements.

He was conferred with an honorary degree during the final graduation ceremony of the academic year, fittingly in front of hundreds of medical students he has helped to inspire.

Professor Robert Steele told the graduands and their families, “Alfred Cuschieri has done more to alleviate human suffering than any other academic or surgeon that I know.”

Sir Alfred was born in Malta and came to Dundee in 1976. Many patients have benefited from his work, which aims to reduce the impact of surgery on the body and cut the length of hospital stays and recovery times.

The surgical skills unit he set up has helped to ensure that surgeons are properly trained to carry out keyhole procedures safely.

In 2003 he was also behind the creation of the Institute of Medical Science and Technology, a joint venture between Dundee and St Andrews Universities, and he becomes its chief scientific officer in October —despite being officially retired.

Meanwhile, a special award went to medical student Richard Clinghan in recognition of his efforts as president of the medical school and as a member of the university charities committee.

He also revived the inter-medical schools sports tournament, which had stopped 15 years ago. More than 450 students from across Scotland and Northern Ireland took part last year.

The Wimberley prize is named after Major-General Douglas Wimberley, from 1946 to 1954 the principal of University College, Dundee —then an offshoot of St Andrews University which later became Queen’s College and finally a fully independent institution.

Richard, who is about to start work at a hospital in Stirling, said, “I am really pleased to get this medal. The sports tournament was great fun and should continue to go from strength to strength. We really tried to make the society more fun, as well as getting support from the students on more serious matters.”

He was among 400 students from the schools of medicine and dentistry who gathered in Caird Hall to be “capped” with a rolled-up bonnet by University Chancellor Lord Patel, who was described by university principal Sir Alan Langlands as “having a service action that rivals Roger Federer.”

Sir Alan looked forward to major medical developments, including the transfer to Dundee from London of a skin tumour laboratory backed by Cancer Research UK.

He added, “The school of medicine is well-placed for the future with world-class research programmes in cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dermatology, neurosciences and early human development—and strong education and service programmes carried out in partnership with NHS Tayside.

“The new clinical research centre at Ninewells Hospital will open later this year, enabling the medical school to play a key role in translational medicine—describing the pathways of disease in greater detail and developing new diagnostic tests, therapies and medical devices.

“This effort will be supported by strong basic sciences—a real feature of Dundee—and increased investment in population sciences aimed at disentangling the genetic, lifestyle and environmental determinants of common diseases.”

He told the gathered graduands, “It is against this background of technological advance, new scientific opportunities and moves towards personalised medicine that you will shape your future careers.”

After the ceremony the graduands and their families were invited to a garden party held outside the students’ association.