Surgical Society: Academic Surgery Chair

Hi everyone, I’m Charvi and I am the current Events Lead for Academic Surgery! Through my role, I’ve been actively involved in many aspects of the subcommittee, such as co-organising the Virtual Academic Surgery Conference (VASC) and working together with the mentorship officers to deliver our surgical mentorship scheme.

I acknowledge the importance of structured guidance in research for preclinical and clinical medical students alike.

As Academic Surgery Chair, I aspire to focus on:

• Education: I aim to build on the ‘Introduction to Research’ series by incorporating hands-on sessions that simulate potential research questions, providing a platform for students to practise applying relevant skills and to receive tailored feedback from surgeons
• Transferable skills: Practical sessions where students can practise using R and SPSS to analyse hypothetical data sets, a relevant skill in both medical and surgical research
• Mentorship: I intend to further develop the mentorship scheme and will ensure that mentees are frequently followed up and feel supported, by implementing weekly drop-in sessions where students can express any doubts or issues - tackling issues early enables students to make the most out of the scheme
• Innovation: Fostering collaborations with MedTech to highlight key surgical research that involves using novel materials and instruments
• Career insights (VASC): Increasing awareness of multiple pathways into academic surgery and providing opportunities for oral presentations

Hello! I’m Angharad, a second-year medical student with immense interest in medical and surgical research.

It was a privilege to serve this year’s Academic Surgery subcommittee and help oversee the first year of the Mentorship Scheme. Honestly, I found it incredibly tough getting started, but seeing it come into fruition was so rewarding. I've learned a lot about structuring events and networking which I'd take forward if elected.

For my part, I’ve been reflecting on the impact research has on patients. As aspiring academic clinicians, we strive to drive innovation and improve patient care - but evidence shows that published research takes almost two decades to make its way into clinical practise, and most members of the public cannot access or even interpret the research papers that their taxes fund.

I believe that a research-focused committee should address these issues. If elected, I aim to:

• Formalise the Academic Surgery Mentorship Scheme with signed agreements and regular follow-up
• Align the Introduction to Research series with students’ progress in the mentorship Scheme
• Introduce the Surgical Evidence and Public Engagement competition — a reimagined oral essay presentation which trains aspiring surgeons to convey research findings to their future patients by uniquely engaging members of the public and academic surgeons in the judgement process

If you'd like to see these ideas realised, do vote for me! 

Feel free to email me with any questions at [email protected].