Prestigious Royal College of Surgeons names Dr. Ralph V. Clayman an honorary fellow

Dean of UCI medical school pioneered use of minimally invasive urologic techniques

— Irvine, Calif., April 18, 2011 —

Dr. Ralph V. Clayman, dean of the UC Irvine School of Medicine and professor of urology, has received an honorary fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, which for more than 500 years has been dedicated to the maintenance and promotion of the highest standards of surgical practice. It’s the highest honor bestowed by the Scottish institute.

Clayman founded UCI’s Department of Urology in 2002 and is a prolific researcher and pioneer in minimally invasive techniques that have revolutionized kidney and upper urinary tract surgery and dramatically improved patient safety and outcomes.

“I am truly honored and humbled by this recognition from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. It’s a major affirmation of the significant impact that less-invasive renal surgery has had on urology and on the surgical discipline in general,” Clayman said.

This year marks the 21st anniversary of the first use of a laparoscope to perform kidney surgery, a procedure Clayman and colleagues developed and refined that has become standard for urologic surgeons worldwide. They subsequently expanded the technique for use in a broad variety of urologic surgeries for cancer and benign diseases. Clayman has since invented nearly a dozen devices for performing minimally invasive surgical procedures.

He joins a distinguished list of surgeons honored by the Royal College, including Sir Joseph Lister, often called “the father of modern surgery.”

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UCI is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with nearly 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,000 staff. Orange County’s largest employer, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $4.2 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.

News Radio: UCI maintains on campus an ISDN line for conducting interviews with its faculty and experts. Use of this line is available for a fee to radio news programs/stations that wish to interview UCI faculty and experts. Use of the ISDN line is subject to availability and approval by the university.