One of the Republic's leading paediatric surgeons has been awarded an international medal in recognition of his work with sick children.
Prof Prem Puri, of Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin, Dublin, was awarded the Denis Browne gold medal by the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons. It is considered the highest honour in the field of paediatric surgery.
The award, presented at a ceremony in Stockholm, recognises Prof Puri's lifetime work on congenital malformations. These include a major breakthrough in the treatment of kidney reflux - the most common kidney problem in children.
Prof Puri is director of research at the children's research centre at Our Lady's, and is also a consultant paediatric surgeon at both the National Children's Hospital in Tallaght and Temple Street Children's Hospital. His work has resulted in the replacement of a major surgical operation for kidney reflux by a 10-minute minimally invasive procedure.
During the past two decades, he has been investigating the underlying mechanisms which cause some of the most common congenital birth defects, including a major research project to identify the gene that triggers kidney reflux.
He adds the Denis Browne medal to previous awards, including the Asian Society of Paediatric Urology medal for outstanding contribution to paediatric urology; a lifetime achievement award by the Indian Association of Paediatric Surgeons and the Kafka medal for outstanding contribution to paediatric surgery.
He has also been awarded previously in Ireland for his research work.