What does Dr. Ara Darzi have in common with Rudolph Giuliani, Steven Spielberg and Colin Powell? Not much in career terms, but for the British throne, they are all unique and worthy of Knighthood. First bestowed by King George V in 1917, the title of Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) has been handed to some very famous people in recent decades, and this year the honor went to Dr. Darzi, an Armenian surgeon. Earlier recipients of the honorary knighthood include the evangelist Billy Graham, composer and orchestral maestro Andre Previn, oil tycoon John Paul Getty II, actor Bob Hope, former U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. and many other accomplished individuals. Dr. Darzi, 42, is an Irish citizen and holds a medical degree from Trinity College, Dublin, but for the past more than 10 years has lived and worked in London and pioneered a system which uses robotic arms to carry out keyhole surgery. Dr. Darzi, who is medical professor at St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, has a long and distinguished career. Aside from his clinical and academic work, Dr. Darzi is a member of the British Department of Health's Modernization Board and the government's adviser for surgery. In recent years he has played a leading role in helping cut down the National Health Service patient waiting lists and is credited with pioneering the use of minimally invasive (keyhole) techniques in surgery and robotics in the United Kingdom. "Non invasive surgery cuts down the time a patient has to spend in a hospital, and in the long run is more cost effective," Dr. Darzi said in an interview after demonstrating the new system to British surgeons and another group of doctors viewing the procedure in a live television broadcast in Hong Kong. Only a few weeks after this reporter witnessed Dr. Darzi at work in a simple operating room in London which sometimes resembled a television studio or an engineering research laboratory, news of his Knighthood was announced by the British Throne. "It feels great to be recognized, but for me the honor will only push me forward," Dr. Darzi said later. But there was a lot more emotion in his father's voice when contacted by this reporter. Dr. Darzi's father, Vartkes, is a retired civil and structural engineer who was the first Iraq-born Armenian to study at the University of California in Berkeley in the late 1940's. The son of a Genocide survivor, Vartkes (Terzian) Darzi settled in Dublin after graduation and started a family in a city which did not even have an Armenian community. "I used to travel a lot, working in many countries in the Middle East, while Ara and his sister stayed home with my wife. But we were a very close-knit Armenian family and I have raised Ara as an Armenian," Vartkes Darzi said. "Unfortunately, we did not have a large circle of Armenian friends, something which I want my son to start doing. I have retired, and London is our home now, and it is such an advantage to be involved with the Armenian community," he said. "The reports in the British press said my son Ara is an Irish national. That is correct, but he is also an Armenian, and is the first Armenian to become an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE)," said Vartkes Darzi. While not involved in things Armenian, Dr. Darzi remains greatly interested in Armenian issues. Growing up in Dublin, Dr. Darzi's closest ties to his heritage was through his parents. But in a recent interview, Dr. Darzi said he would "really like to take my knowledge to Armenia. I would love to visit and do something constructive there. "I have not had the chance until now, but I hope to get more involved in the coming years. I want to go to my roots. I have served in many countries around the world. Why not also Armenia?" he said. "I would like to volunteer and even take some essential equipment to Armenia to train other doctors there. All I need is the right opportunity." he said.
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