Surgeon Nadine Hachach-Haram has received a British Empire Medal for her innovative work in the field of surgery and medicine during her time at the Royal Free Hospital.

In 2015, Nadine co-founded Proximie, an augmented reality platform that allows doctors to be virtually transported into any clinical setting in the world. This helps doctors from across the globe to interact and mentor each other for new procedures and techniques.

The inspiration for Proximie came after Nadine saw first-hand how the demand for healthcare is outstripping the number of doctors available to deliver care, resulting in some patients experiencing difficulties in accessing the treatment they need.

The technology has been adopted by a number of NHS hospitals and medical providers across the globe. It has won multiple awards, including the Royal Society of Medicine Innovation and eHealth award and the Best Augmented Reality Industry Technology award at London Tech Week.

It is used at the Royal Free Hospital to teach undergraduate and postgraduate students and to deliver peripheral specialist care.

On receiving the honour, Nadine, who worked at the Royal Free Hospital between 2014 and 2017, said: “I am incredibly proud and humbled to receive this award so early in my career. I’m passionate about innovation in healthcare and how we can leverage technology to improve the care our patients receive here in the UK and across the world. I am particularly grateful to Professor Mosahebi at the Royal Free London who has been an inspirational mentor to me over the last four years.”

Sir David Sloman, Royal Free London group chief executive, said: “This is a richly deserved award for Nadine – huge congratulations on such a fantastic achievement. Nadine’s work is at the leading edge of digital technology in the NHS and is helping us to improve people’s health and care and improve value for tax payers’ money. As chair of the Royal Free London’s innovation board, her drive and focus on leading edge technology will be at the heart of our vision to be a leader in digital healthcare in the NHS.”