His most notable achievements are the first liver transplantation operation in Europe in 1968, the world's first liver, heart, and lung transplant together with John Wallwork in 1987;[1][2] the first intestinal transplant in the UK in 1992, and the first successful combined stomach, intestine, pancreas, liver, and kidney cluster transplant in 1994.[3]

Calne was a Fellow of the Royal Society and was Professor of Surgery at Cambridge University between 1965 and 1998 where he initiated the kidney transplant programme.[4] He was Harkness Fellow at Harvard Medical School from 1960 to 1961.[5] Much of his subsequent work has been concerned with the improvement of immunosuppression techniques aimed at prolonging the life of liver transplant recipients. He was the Yoah Ghim Professor of Surgery at the National University of Singapore.[citation needed]

Calne was elected to the Royal Society in 1974, and was awarded the 1988 Cameron Prize for Therapeutics of the University of Edinburgh. He was awarded the 1984 Lister Medal for his contributions to surgical science.[7] The corresponding Lister Oration, given at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, was delivered on 21 May 1985, and was titled Organ transplantation: from laboratory to clinic.[8]

Calne was knighted in the 1986 Birthday Honours.[9] In 1990, he received the Ellison-Cliffe Medal from the Royal Society of Medicine. His portrait, commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, was painted by John Bellany in 1991. He was awarded Hamdan Award for Medical Research Excellence - Organ & Tissue Transplantation by Hamdan Medical Award in 2008.[citation needed] In 2012, Calne shared the prestigious Lasker Award (Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award) with Dr. Thomas Starzl 'for the development of liver transplantation, which has restored normal life to thousands of patients with end-stage liver disease.'[10]

Calne was a member and Patron of Humanists UK[11] and he was an Honorary Vice-President of the Cambridge University Lawn Tennis Club.