Surgical Society: Innovation Officer

Hello, I’m Jon and it would be an absolute privilege to be Surgical Society’s Innovation Officer next year! I am a passionate advocate for advancing surgical practice through innovation and I hope to share my enthusiasm with the rest of the surgical society by providing an exciting year of opportunity and experiences:)

During my Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering iBSc last year, I helped develop a novel commercial wearable device which measures a user’s VO2 max during exercise using Electrical Impedance Tomography. I believe that having first-hand experience in medical innovation provides me with valuable insight and drives my enthusiasm into innovation, which I am excited to share with the members of this society.

From my iBSc, networking and by attending talks around the country, I have developed contacts to many innovators within surgery, and would love to share these links with the Surgical Society to organise events to inform our students on the current attempts to pioneer advancements in surgical practice.

If elected, I would:

• Introduce socials and networking events between other medical schools for all students interested in innovation within surgery

• Push to provide opportunities for members to participate in research opportunities regarding innovation in surgery (To grow your surgical portfolio!)

• Foster collaboration with other Surgsoc divisions to host seminars and workshops with external speakers

Thank you and I hope I have your vote:)

My last six weeks of clinical placement in surgery have not only strengthened it as a passion, but have also provided a level of insight into emerging techniques within the field. From watching robot-guided total knee arthroplasty to observing the awe-inspiring DaVinci robot at work on repairing a hernia, I have seen first-hand the potential of these innovations. 
oHowever, it is known that minimally invasive and robotic surgeries haven’t yet been proven to significantly improve post-surgical patient recovery when compared to open surgeries, implying a long way to go in optimising them. I am hugely interested in this aspect of medicine, particularly the developments in fetoscopic surgery to reduce maternal and foetal morbidity post-surgery. By standing for this position, I aim to create an open environment in which these innovations can be discussed with current professionals in the field and open up possibilities for students to get involved in research in surgical innovation.

Hi, I'm Clement and I am running for innovation officer!

As the innovation officer, I plan to work closely with our subcommittees to elevate the quality of events including conferences, workshops and webinars. I aim to do so by incorporating interactive elements which will allow for more engaging experiences for participants. 

Initiatives 

- Virtual reality workshop: allow students to realise the potential of extended reality in surgical training through 360 degree VR surgical procedures.

- Da Vinci robotic surgery workshop: offer insights into the advantages of the Da Vinci surgical system over traditional laparoscopic surgery.

- Innovation in Surgery conference (in collaboration with other surgical societies): showcase state-of-the-art technologies and revolutionary techniques by bringing together leading experts and innovators.

Experiences

- national student lead for Virtual Reality in Medicine and Surgery (VRiMS): conduct VR workshops for surgical societies across the UK. 

- Vice-President of Malaysian Medics International United Kingdom (MMI UK): spearheaded large-scale events such as our annual conference and foster a collaborative community.