Sean Hughes (surgeon)

Sean Patrick Francis Hughes (2 December 1941 – 4 May 2025) was British emeritus professor of orthopaedic surgery at Imperial College London where he was previously professor of orthopaedic surgery and head of the department of surgery, anaesthetics and intensive care. Earlier in his career he had been professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Edinburgh.

His clinical research topics included fracture healing, musculoskeletal infection and the surgery of degenerate  lumbar and cervical discs. His basic science research publications included studies of the microcirculation of bone, bone infection and the role of nitric oxide in bone and joint disease. He served as vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and chairman of DISCS, the charity funding research into spinal conditions.

His interests in the history of medicine were focused on the history of orthopaedic surgery, and the doctor and poet John Keats.