Isam Salih Osman was consultant general and vascular surgeon at Ipswich Hospital and subsequently at the King Saud Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was born on 23 August 1964. His father was working towards higher degrees in economics and sociology in Lebanon and the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s and as a result Isam spent his childhood in a number of countries including Lebanon, the United States, Germany and Kenya. After finishing secondary school in Kenya, he was accepted into the faculty of medicine at the University of Khartoum, Sudan, from which he graduated in 1987. After completing house jobs in the Sudan, Isam travelled to the UK to pursue surgical training. In 1992 he became a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. He completed senior house officer and then surgical registrar training in Birmingham before being appointed as a consultant general and vascular surgeon at Ipswich Hospital in 1996. He was 32 when he was appointed. During his time in Ipswich, he served as clinical delivery group lead for general, gastrointestinal and vascular surgery and as chair of the general surgery, vascular surgery and gastroenterology business unit. Outside of medicine he also served as a governor to Orwell Park School for six years. He became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England ad eundem in 2005, testament to his ongoing commitment to the development of surgical services. Isam loved music, was an avid rugby fan and a keen supporter of Manchester United Football Club. Mr Osman, as we referred to him at work, kick-started the careers of dozens of young doctors in the UK. Isam was always energetic, always had a story to tell, always engaging, welcoming and inclusive. He was a mentor and teacher but also a friend and confidante. An extremely capable general and vascular surgeon, he was very meticulous in his technique and most impressive, not only to witness operating but also to listen to as he performed carotid endarterectomies and abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs, regaling all who were fortunate enough to be present in theatre at the time with science, art and culture, all the while demonstrating impeccable surgical technique. Isam was equally astute outside the operating theatre. Articulate and never lost for words, he had the unique combination of a sharp, analytical mind, situational awareness and emotional intelligence. He read between the lines like few others could. Regardless of the setting, theatres, a multidisciplinary team, the wards or a conference, his persona was formidable and larger than life. In his signature shark-skin grey suit, sky blue shirt and red tie, he was, without a doubt, the quintessential surgeon and an excellent role model. In 2016, Isam left his position as consultant vascular surgeon in Ipswich to take up a new position as head of the vascular and endovascular department and director of operating rooms for the King Saud Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In 2020 he became clinical service lead for operating rooms there. In 2023 he took on the role at the Royal College of Surgeons of England as country advisor to Saudi Arabia, testament to his ability and willingness to give more to his profession. Isam was also president of the Sudanese Association of Vascular Surgeons. Following the outbreak of hostilities in the Sudan in 2023, he travelled to Port Sudan to offer his expertise and assistance as part of a humanitarian mission organised and funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre. He was very disheartened by the devastation and human suffering that he had witnessed but also very impressed by the resilience and bravery of the people he had met during his time in Port Sudan. Isam was supportive from day one and remained so until he died. He died in Manama, Bahrain, on 29 September 2023, where he had gone to attend a conference. I had reached out to him for advice just three days earlier. He was always generous with his time and his wisdom. He leaves a legacy of surgical excellence, hard work and of helping others, clearly evidenced by his recent trips to Sudan as well as his insistence on travelling to Bahrain to participate in a conference, despite having just returned from his war-torn homeland. So much of Isam’s selfless assistance to others is unknown to the public as he never spoke about how he had helped others. Isam’s sudden death was a painful and shocking blow. He was no doubt still affected by the recent death of his close friend and colleague, Hisham Hassan El-Khidir and the turmoil in Sudan. He leaves behind his wonderful family, his wife Jihan (née Elmusharaf) and his children, Mohamed and Nadine, of whom he was immensely proud. He will be sorely missed and remembered as a brilliant surgeon, teacher and mentor but above all a wonderful friend and human being.