He was driven by a desire to improve outcomes for women affected by a prevalent cancer with dire survival rates.
Since the 1980s breast cancer death rates in the UK have fallen by more than a third.
Professor David George's innovations in the treatment of the disease over four decades in Glasgow "unquestionably" saved lives, according to his peers.
Born in Reading, he was appointed a consultant surgeon at the city's Western Infirmary in 1981, starting his career in medicine as a general surgeon with an interest in breast cancer.
By 1990, improving survival rates through improved diagnostic procedures became his primary focus.
He was among the first to advocate for breast screening to detect the disease at the earliest possible stage.
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He pioneered the one-stop-shop approach which allowed patients presenting with a breast lump to have all the relevant diagnostic tests in one day, which had previously taken weeks.
Beloved by patients for his reassuring and kind approach, he understood the importance of psychological support in cancer care.
"His legacy will be in breast cancer treatment," said Patrick O'Dwyer, a former Professor of Gastrointestinal Surgery, who worked alongside him at the Western Infirmary from 1990.
"I think he appreciated that it was such a large cause of mortality in women.
"It was such a common cancer and people weren't really taking that seriously.
"In the 1980s and 1990s, every surgeon dealt with the disease. Surgeons didn't really have a special interest.
"He was very innovative in terms of his multi-disciplinary approach and showing that this improved outcomes.
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"This is where you have a combination of surgeons and medical oncologists, nurse specialists, pathologists and radiologists all working together to make the best decision for a patient.
"There really weren't any multi-disciplinary meetings taking place in those days so he would have been among the first to do that.
"It had quite a significant improvement on survival," he added.
He added: "I had been in North America at the time and there weren't anywhere nearly as advanced in terms of managing patients at that stage as David was."
He was also instrumental in setting up a Surgical Forum in 1990, based on a Hong Kong model, which brought surgeons of international repute to Glasgow to share innovations and "put the city on the medical map". Medics from all over the world attended it.
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Prof George took the Regius Chair of Surgery at University of Glasgow in 2000.
He served in many other senior roles including presidencies of the British Association of Surgical Oncology and of the Surgical Research Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
He was also chairman of the British Breast Group and of the West of Scotland Managed Clinical Network for Breast Cancer.
In 2008 he was appointed CBE for Services to Medicine and Healthcare, in recognition of his many achievements in medicine.
Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, said: “Professor George was a highly respected and charismatic figure in the surgical and wider Medical School community in Glasgow.
"His wit, wisdom, leadership and insights were appreciated by his students and clinical colleagues alike.
"Most importantly, his legacy will reside in the expert clinical care he brought to numerous patients over the decades.”
Colleagues at the University of Glasgow who worked alongside Prof George echoed the principal's tribute and described him as a “charismatic and wise clinician” who in addition to his academic and surgical skills, was renowned for "his ability to communicate clearly and compassionately with his patients".
He died earlier this month at the age of 80 and is survived by his wife Polly, four children and two stepsons.
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