FST Committee

The Faculty of Surgical Trainers aims to support and nurture a diverse and inclusive community of surgical trainers. The Committee are responsible for driving forward the strategic development of the Faculty and supporting the future generation of surgeons.

Executive Committee

 

Surgical Director - Alex Phillips

Mr Alexander Phillips is a Consultant Oesophagogastric Surgeon, based at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne. He has a background in medical education having completed a Masters in medical education and followed this up with an MD exploring clinical and surgical learning. He has a number of medical education roles, including the director of undergraduate surgery at Newcastle University, and deputy Programme Director for General Surgery in the Northeast of England.

 

 

 

 

Deputy Surgical Director - James Tomlinson

Mr James Tomlinson is a Consultant Spinal Surgeon at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. He is Educational TPD for T&O in Yorkshire and a member of the Orthopaedic Selection Design Group. He is a member of the RCSEd NOTSS faculty and has supervised a number of educational leadership fellows.

 

 

 

Deputy Surgical Director - Pragnesh Bhatt

Mr Pragnesh Bhatt qualified as a neurosurgeon in 1987 after training in India and the UK. Currently a consultant neurosurgeon at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, he has a particular interest in complex spinal surgery in both adults and children leading the multidisciplinary team for degenerative spinal conditions. An Honorary Senior Lecturer at NHS Grampian, Pragnesh also sits on the College’s Surgical Specialty Board in Neurosurgery and is a RCSEd Regional Surgical Advisor for the North of Scotland.

 

 

 

Honorary Secretary - Shireen McKenzie

Miss Shireen McKenzie is a Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon and current Director of  Undergraduate Medical Education at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. She was previously the Co-Head of Year 3 of the MBChB and remains a Senior Lecturer with The University of Leeds. She is on the faculty for CCrISP and NOTSS and a member of the ASBGI editorial board. Prior to being appointed to the Executive Board of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers, she was on the advisory board. Fellow of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers and also a Fellow of the Academy of Higher Education. She has an interest in recruiting surgeons, especially at Undergraduate level and dispelling the "myths" that reduce recruitment of students of any gender, race and sexual orientation, into a career in surgery.

 

Honorary Treasurer - Stephen Jones

Mr Stephen Jones has been consultant ENT surgeon in Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee since 2006. His sub-specialty interests include otology and hearing implantation as well as his interests in teaching and training in surgery. He is also an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Dundee, Undergraduate Teaching Lead for ENT, one of the Associate Directors of Medical Education for NHS Tayside, with responsibility for many of the surgical specialties, Examiner for the FRCS (ORL-HNS), Regional Surgical Adviser for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh for the Scotland (East) region and member of the Surgical Specialty Board for Otolaryngology for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. 

 

 

HSET Rep - Timothy Graham

Professor Timothy Graham is a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Senior Lecturer in Clinical Surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, University of Birmingham and Royal Centre for Defence Medicine UK and a Civilian Consultant Cardiac Surgeon to the British Army. He’s a joint founder of the National Birmingham Review course in Cardiothoracic surgery and the National Birmingham Professional Development Course. He’s also a joint founder and convenor of the Asian Cardiothoracic Surgery Specialty Update Course (ACSSUC). Received Honorary Fellowship of Indian Association of Cardiothoracic and Vascular surgeons in 2011 and Distinguished Surgeon Award from Academy of Medicine Singapore in 2013.

 

 

 

HSET Rep - Amanda McCabe

Miss Amanda McCabe FRCS(paeds) is a consultant paediatric surgeon for 13 years, based at Ninewells Hospital Dundee and Royal Hospital for Children and Young Adults, Edinburgh. Her practice specialises in lower GI (Hirschsprungs disease and anorectal anomalies). During her career she has taken a keen interest in surgical training, with particular focus on basic skills and fine motor development. She examines for MRCS (UK and overseas) and FRCS(paeds) and chairs its question writing group. She is a member of the SAC for paediatric surgery and is current chair of Surgical Speciality Board (paed surg) at RCSEd. A keen gardener and dog walker with 2 teenage sons and a very understanding husband.

 

 

 

 HSET Rep - Ahmed Nassef 

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Advisory Board

 

Fellow Representative - Sunil Kumar

Dr Sunil Kumar MS DNB FRCS(Ed) FRCS(Eng) FIAGES EFIAGES FFSTEd FACS is Hon Professor, Senior Consultant and Former HOD Surgery at the Tata Main Hospital in Jamshedpur, India. He has been a council member for RCSEd (2016-21) and also the council member for ASI (Association of Surgeons of India) and IAGES (Indian Association of Gastro Endoscopic Surgeons). He worked for the NHS in Yorkshire from 1993 to 2002. Dr Kumar is also a Post Graduate Examiner in General Surgery in India and Intercollegiate Examiner for Royal College of Surgeons in the UK. He was awarded the best teacher award for excellence in medical education by the National Board of Examination, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt of India, New Delhi in 2018.

 

Fellow Representative - Chris Caddy

Mr Christopher Caddy is a Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgeon and Honorary Senior Lecturer, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He was elected to Council in 2019. An Edinburgh graduate with international training in South Africa, Australia, and USA. His interests include Education and Training, Leadership and Quality Improvement. He is a Fellows Representative on the Advisory Board, Faculty of Surgical Trainers and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Educators. He is involved with NOTSS training, FLOW and individual coaching.

 

 

Member Representative - Kevin Wembridge

Mr Kevin Wembridge is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon specialising in lower limb arthroplasty in Rotherham General Hospital. He is the Training Programme Director for T&O in Yorkshire, previous Surgical College Representative, examiner for JCIE examinations and is actively involved in postgraduate and undergraduate education as an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer. He is Members Representative on the Advisory Board, Faculty of Surgical Trainers.

 

 

 

Member Representative - Simon Fleming

Mr Simon Fleming is a London-based Trauma and Orthopaedic Registrar. He a founding member and trainee representative for the International Orthopaedic Diversity Alliance (IODA), on the Executive board for the NIHR Clinical Education Incubator and Associate Editor for Medical Education and The Clinical Teacher. Previously he was Vice Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Trainee Doctors’ Group (ATDG) and President of the British Orthopaedic Trainees’ Association (BOTA).

While passionate about orthopaedics, surgical education and mentoring, he has special interests in hand surgery, competency decisions and combating bullying, discrimination, harassment and the lack of diversity and equity in healthcare.

 

 

Associate Representative - Zak Choudhury

Mr Zak Choudhury is a Consultant Paediatric and Adult Spinal Surgeon at James Cook in Middlesbrough. He has been involved in teaching and training for most of his career, including for the Universities of Leeds and Birmingham. He is on the panel of Question Writers for Section One of the JCIE exam in Trauma & Orthopaedics. He is a Course Tutor for the Edinburgh Online Courses and ChM and is involved in Multispecialty teaching, including being faculty for the England Rugby Pre Hospital Immediate Care in Sport Course. He has a commitment to training and supporting his trainees as an AES. 

 

 

 

 

Co-opted - Lisa Hadfield - Law

Having spent 20 years in clinical practice and 20 years in surgical education, Lisa Hadfield - Law SRN MSc FAcadMEd has been immersed in both cultures and is, therefore, in a unique position to provide educational support. She has managed an orthopaedic/trauma service of a teaching hospital, and has insight into the circumstances and challenges facing surgical teams.

 

 

Trainees' Committee Representative - Katie Hurst

Katie Hurst is a General Surgery Registrar (ST4) in the Thames Valley deanery, with an interest in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery. During completion of her academic foundation programme and academic clinical fellowship in Oxford, she sat on the RCSEd Trainees committee for 3 years. Katie is extremely passionate about improving trainee morale, as well as teamwork in the workplace. She orchestrated the RCSEd roadshow 'Lets Cycle It', and is currently chair of the RCSEd Sustainability Champions. Outside work, Katie enjoys cycling, running and spending time with friends.

 

 

 

 

Trainees' Committee Representative - Iain Rankin

Iain Rankin is a Senior Registrar in Trauma & Orthopaedics at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. He completed his undergraduate training at the University of Glasgow in 2012 and subsequent foundation training in North West Thames. He was appointed to a training post in the North of Scotland Deanery in Trauma & Orthopaedics in 2014. Throughout his surgical training he has completed a MSc in Evidence Based Healthcare at University College London and PhD in Bioengineering at Imperial College London. As a member of the RCSEd Trainees’ Committee he aims to work towards improving trainee wellbeing and sustainability, whilst pursuing his interests in surgical education and training. 

 

ASiT Representative - Roberta Garau 

BOTA Representative - Dominic Waugh

JCST Representative - Keith Jones

NES Representative - Russell Duncan

Health Education & Improvement Wales - Richard Egan