Professor Nick Maynard is a Consultant Upper GI Surgeon at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Associate Professor of Surgery at Oxford University.
Nick first visited Palestine in 2008, and since 2010 he has been visiting Gaza regularly. Each October he leads a group of Oxford Consultants specialising in surgery, medicine, paediatrics, and obstetrics to Gaza to teach medical students from the Islamic University of Gaza and Al Azhar University. Nick also works with Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP UK) as part of their surgical team to travel into Gaza to carry out and teach advanced upper gastrointestinal surgery for cancer and benign diseases. In December 2023 with MAP Nick led the first UK medical mission into Gaza during the current conflict and worked at Al Aqsa Hospital for 2 weeks. He spent a further 2 weeks at Al Aqsa Hospital in April and May 2024 and returned from a further mission in Gaza at the end of July 2025 having spent 4 weeks in Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. He continues to be a vocal advocate for Gaza, including media interviews, lectures and meetings at the United Nations and with politicians in Westminster and Washington.
Nick is Chair of the Board of Trustees of Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP UK), and last year was awarded the Humanitarian Medal by the UK Government for his humanitarian work in Gaza, receiving his award from King Charles at Buckingham Palace in February 2025.