Surgical Society: Welfare Officer Chair

Hi, I’m Adiba and I’d like to be your Welfare Officer this year! I have loved being involved with the committee as your secretary, and hope to continue this into the next academic year.

Mental health is a cause close to my heart, especially given the uncertainty we've had to navigate through as medical students during the pandemic. Given my previous experience on the committee, I have seen and experienced first-hand what kind of pressure students working towards the surgical specialty are under.

Therefore, I am passionate about providing opportunities that will improve the well-being of our society members. This will include:

• Focusing on ‘taking a break’ at least once a month, through in-person workshops and social events.
• Running polls on the social media pages to cater to the needs of students, to maximise turnout to anti-burnout activities.
• Create a guide on how to access UCL support services which will be circulated within the society, to destigmatise the act of asking for help.
• Running a video series in the style of Vogue’s 73-questions, showcasing the daily lives of surgeons, where they could answer questions relating to dealing with stress and maintaining a work-life balance
• Inviting mental health professionals and surgeons to talk about dealing with pressure and difficult times for Welfare Wednesdays

I want to continue to make a valuable contribution to SurgSoc through this position, and I hope to have your vote!