William David George (March 1943 – 6 April 2023) was a British surgeon and breast cancer researcher.

Biography

Born in

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is the United Kingdom's largest town, with a combined population of 355,596. Most of Reading built-up area, its built-up area lies within the Borough ...

, George was educated at Henley Grammar School. George began his career in 1973 as a lecturer at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

. In 1981, he became a general surgeon at the Western Infirmary in Reading. By 1990, George shifted his focus to improving breast cancer survival rates through diagnostic procedures. He implemented a diagnostic method that allowed patients to complete all necessary diagnostic tests for breast lumps within a day, as opposed to the traditional multi-week process. In the same year, he helped establish a Surgical Forum which gathered surgeons in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

to exchange medical practices. In 2000, George assumed the Regius Chair of Surgery at the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

. He also held leadership positions in several professional organisations, including presidencies at the British Association of Surgical Oncology and the Surgical Research Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Additionally, he served as chairman for the British Breast Group and the West of Scotland Managed Clinical Network for Breast Cancer. In 2008, George was awarded a CBE for his services to medicine and healthcare, recognising his contributions, including his advocacy for early-stage breast cancer detection.

Death

He died, aged 80, in April 2023 and was survived by a wife, four children and two step-children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:George, David 1943 births 2023 deaths English surgeons British cancer researchers Academics of the University of Glasgow People from Reading, Berkshire Commanders of the Order of the British Empire