Kenneth Rogers (known as ‘Ken’) was a general surgeon specialising in surgical oncology and head of the department of surgical sciences and dean of the school of medicine at the University of Sheffield. He was born in Windy Nook, a mining village near Gateshead, the son of Harriet Rogers née Eager and Roy Rogers and attended Washington Grammar School. He went to Bristol University to study medicine and graduated in 1969. He was a junior house officer at Bristol Royal Infirmary and then moved to the University of Birmingham to a lectureship in anatomy and then a research fellowship in immunology. He completed peri fellowship posts in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham and Worcester Royal Infirmary. In 1978 he was appointed to a lectureship in the academic department of surgery at the Welsh National School of Medicine, Cardiff, where he gained surgical and research training under the supervision of Leslie Hughes. Ken was appointed as a senior lecturer and honorary consultant surgeon in the academic department of surgery at the University of Sheffield, based at the Northern General Hospital, in 1981. With his wide experience of emergency and elective surgery, he led the way in developing specialist services for the diagnosis and management of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies, soft tissue tumours and breast cancer. He established a link with the National Cancer Center Hospital in Tokyo, so that trainees could learn about new techniques which Japanese surgeons were using to diagnose and treat early gastric cancer. Ken was an excellent surgeon and inspirational teacher who was keen to share his clinical skills with medical students and trainees. He noted that he particularly enjoyed the technical aspects of postgraduate surgical training and derived great satisfaction from developing clinical management and operative skills in young surgeons. He encouraged many surgical trainees to progress in their careers and his supportive supervision helped to prepare new consultants for single-handed surgical practice in the 1980s and 1990s. Under his guidance many junior staff pursued research projects and degrees related to surgical oncology. Subjects included early detection of gastric cancer, immunological aspects of breast and colon cancers, the response of normal and malignant tissue to Nd:YAG contact lasers, the diagnosis and management of anal intraepithelial neoplasia in women and studies on tamoxifen’s metabolites. He collaborated with colleagues in the Institute of Cancer Studies, the department of gynaecology and the department of pharmacology and therapeutics at the University of Sheffield. He was the chair or member of many university and NHS committees overseeing medical student admissions, curriculum development and improvement of clinical services. In recognition of his academic interests in medical education and clinical research he was awarded a personal chair in 1990. He subsequently became head of the department of surgical sciences, based in Northern General Hospital and dean of the school of medicine. In this role he helped to establish a collaboration between the University of Sheffield and the Royal College of Medicine Perak in Malaysia, for students to study in Sheffield for two years and then return to Malaysia for the final three years, obtaining a Sheffield medical degree. In 1996 he was appointed to the new role of dean of the postgraduate medical school, University of Plymouth. Unfortunately, ill-health caused him to retire before he could oversee new developments. Despite a busy academic and surgical career, Ken had many interests. He had two children, Alistair and Fiona, and in later years he loved spending time with his grandchildren. When he retired to Northumberland with his second wife Jill (née Pooley), he had time for gardening, reading, playing the cello and providing wonderful hospitality. He was an excellent cook who enjoyed the challenge of preparing complex dishes. He was an engaging person with a warm sense of humour who was loved and respected by his family, friends and many former colleagues, especially the trainees who had had the good fortune to work with him. Ken died on 13 January 2022 at the age of 76.