Applications for the Blond McIndoe Research Foundation One-Year Research Fellowship are now being accepted, with the deadline for submissions approaching on 25 February 2026. This Fellowship offers a valuable opportunity for early-career clinicians and researchers to undertake a dedicated year of research focused on wound healing, burns care and soft tissue reconstruction.

We are delighted to share that Gordon Bebb, Chairman of the Blond McIndoe Research Foundation (BMRF), has been appointed to the Royal College of Surgeons of England’s Court of Patrons.

Eighty years on from the end of the Second World War, the story of the Guinea Pig Club continues to resonate - not only as a tale of survival, but as a lesson in compassion, community, and the power of human resilience.

Founded in 1941 by Sir Archibald McIndoe, pioneering plastic surgeon at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, the Club began as a social group for Allied airmen who had been treated for severe burns and injuries. Its chosen name reflected the experimental nature of McIndoe’s work - a mix of surgical ingenuity, compassion, and what he called “the unorthodox art of rehabilitation”.

Each year, the Blond McIndoe Research Foundation supports early-stage ideas with the potential to change lives. Our Pump Priming Grants provide small-scale funding to help launch ambitious research projects that can pave the way for major breakthroughs. This year’s recipient, Christopher Bricogne from the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, is exploring a new way to detect lung transplant rejection before irreversible damage occurs.

We are delighted to share that Professor Fadi Issa, BM BCh MA DPhil Oxf, MSc Birm, has been appointed to the Professorship of Transplantation in the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences at the University of Oxford, with effect from 1 August 2025. Professor Issa will also become a Fellow of Green Templeton College.

We are saddened to share the news of the death of John Byrne, who passed away peacefully on 21 April 2025 at the age of 79. John was a valued vice-chairman of the Blond McIndoe Research Foundation and a longstanding supporter of our work, bringing with him a quiet determination, sharp intellect, and a personal connection to the mission of advancing burns care and reconstructive surgery.

Trustee Professor Sir Neil Mortensen has received a knighthood for his services to the medical professions.

We join forces with the Guinea Pig Memorial Trust.

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Our 2021 reception took place the evening of November 18 in the Lumley Library at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, in the...