In honour of Geoffrey Donald Oates, and to recognise exceptional achievement in colorectal cancer surgery, BASO established the Geoff Oates Award in 2014.

Geoffrey Donald Oates—known to all as Geoff—was born in Wolsingham, County Durham, in 1929. After graduating with First Class Honours in Anatomy and Physiology from the University of Birmingham, he pursued postgraduate surgical training and a distinguished career in the city, serving as Consultant Surgeon, Senior Clinical Lecturer, and later Chairman of the Division of Surgery at the United Birmingham Hospitals.

His commitment to cancer care was shaped by a formative year at the University of Illinois, Chicago, working with Warren Cole as a Research Fellow and Instructor in Surgery. His pioneering work on tumour metastasis laid the foundation for a lifelong dedication to improving outcomes for patients with cancer.
A visionary leader, Geoff was among the first in England to champion the concept of Surgical Oncology. He founded the Oncology Section of the Royal Society of Medicine, the British Association of Surgical Oncology, and the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, serving as its Inaugural President in 2000.
Predeceased by his first wife, Mollie, he is survived by his widow, Liz, and two children from his marriage to Mollie. His son John is a Consultant ENT Surgeon and leading expert in otology.

Geoff died suddenly in Switzerland at the age of 84, travelling from his adopted home in Verbier to attend the 2013 BASO Conference—a poignant reflection of his lifelong commitment to the Association and to the field he helped shape