Charvi Varampati

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