Talks and shows

The first human womb transplant

Richard Smith and Isabel Quiroga unfold the extraordinary tale of how they led the inaugural UK human womb transplant in 2023

Anna Shvets via Pexels

Following two decades of steadfast research, the first-ever UK human womb transplant took place between two sisters in early 2023.

Join surgeons and co-leaders of the effort Richard Smith and Isabel Quiroga as they share the remarkable 25-year journey of research and collaboration, and the hope to extend this life-changing opportunity to more people in the future, marking a significant milestone in medical history.



The transplant, co-led by teams from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, took nearly 18 hours and paved the way for potential motherhood. The successful procedure highlights the plight of one in five thousand UK women without a viable womb, offering hope to those who have undergone a hysterectomy. While the UK celebrates its inaugural transplant, the global count is around 100, with 50 babies born from such procedures since 2013.

Join two leaders in the field as they explore the future of womb transplants in the UK and beyond.

Event type

This is a theatre and livestream event for an adult audience, where the speakers and audience in our Theatre are joined by our audience online. 

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For any queries regarding this event please get in touch by phone 020 7409 2992 or email events@ri.ac.uk.

About the Speaker - DUPLICATE AND REMOVE

Speaker info goes here.

About Isabel Quiroga

Isabel Quiroga
Via Womb Transplant UK

Isabel Quiroga was born in Spain and obtained her medical degree from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. After graduating she moved to the UK and completed her surgical training in the North Midlands, Cardiff and Oxford. She has a D.Phil. in Transplant Immunology from the University of Oxford and Master in Humanitarian Medicine from The University Miguel Hernandez in Alicante, Spain. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

She worked as a Consultant Transplant Surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital in London and then was appointed as a Consultant Surgeon in Oxford in 2010. Isabel Quiroga specialises in renal and pancreas transplantation, vascular access surgery and endocrine surgery. She is the Clinical Lead for Organ Retrieval in Oxford and has been the course director of the National Organ Retrieval Masterclass in the UK for 9 years. She has collaborated with colleagues in India China and Turkey to develop training courses and webinars in organ donation and retrieval in those countries.

In collaboration with Professor Richard Smith and his gynaecology colleagues at Imperial College, London, she has established the first uterus transplant programme in the UK.

Timing

Doors to the theatre will open at 6.45pm and the talk will begin at 7.00pm.

Accessibility

The event will take place on the first floor and there is step-free access from the street via lift.

The closest underground station is Green Park, which is step-free.

There is space at floor level in the theatre for wheelchair users.

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Our theatre is equipped with an Audio Induction Loop. 

Covid guidelines

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Event terms and conditions