Kellogg Fellow wins Vice-Chancellor’s Award for global impact

Kellogg College is proud to celebrate Professor Kokila Lakhoo, who has received a 2025 Vice-Chancellor’s Award in the category, Making a Difference Globally.

Professor Lakhoo is a Fellow of Kellogg and Professor of Global Paediatric Surgery in the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences. For the past two decades, she has been leading a collaboration to develop sustainable paediatric surgical services in Tanzania. Her work – spanning training, infrastructure development, capacity building and research – has made life-saving surgical care available to thousands of children locally, while creating a replicable model for healthcare capacity building worldwide.

Last year, Professor Lakhoo was awarded £3.5 million by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to lead a project focused on reducing child mortality and disability in Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Her project was selected for the prestigious Vice-Chancellor’s Award from among 160 entries across 11 categories, representing more than 1,300 individuals from across the collegiate University. The winners were announced at a special ceremony at the Sheldonian Theatre on 15 May, with finalists celebrated at a three-day showcase at the Weston Library.

Professor Kokila Lakhoo said:
“It is a great honour to receive this award. The recognition belongs not only to me, but to the teams in Tanzania and Oxford who have worked together to make long-term change possible. It shows what can be achieved when we invest in equitable global partnerships and empower local teams.”

Professor Jonathan Michie, President of Kellogg College, said:
“This prestigious award recognises not only Professor Lakhoo’s pioneering work in global surgery, but also the values that Kellogg College champions – academic excellence with real-world impact. Her contribution to improving children’s health outcomes through sustainable international collaboration is inspiring, and we are proud to count her among our Fellowship.”

The entire College warmly congratulates Professor Lakhoo on winning the Vice-Chancellor’s Award, which affirms the global importance of her work. Her achievement reflects Kellogg’s ongoing commitment to fostering a diverse research community and promoting academic endeavours that deliver positive change for communities worldwide.

• Find out more about Prof Lakhoo’s research from her interview on the Vice-Chancellor’s podcast series: Fire and Wire