The Department of Surgery has a strong clinical research emphasis and our overall strategy is to improve the surgical management of disease through developments in both basic and translational research. There is a major focus on applied clinical research and a key feature of the department is the close integration of University and NHS surgeons.

University surgeons, in parallel with directing programmes of research, play an important role in the development and delivery of specialist surgical services. Similarly, many NHS surgeons are, in addition to their clinical responsibilities, undertaking high quality clinical research supported through close collaboration with University colleagues.

In contrast with the trend in many other UK universities, academic surgery in Cambridge is flourishing and the department continues to expand. The principal research interests are transplantation, stem cell medicine, surgical oncology and orthopaedic surgery. In addition, clinical research of international importance is being led by NHS surgical colleagues across a range of surgical disciplines, including ear, nose and throat surgery, ophthalmic surgery, gastrointestinal surgery and vascular surgery.