Let's Talk Surgery: The RCSEd Podcast

Black history month is a time to reflect on the struggles and successes of the black community. On the podcast, Greg and Sesi are joined by 2 pioneering black surgeons – the first black female consultant orthopaedic surgeon in the UK Miss Samantha Tross and Professor Frank Chinegwundoh to discuss black history month, their journeys as black surgeons and celebrate their successes. Inspirational epi...

Straight out of the Netflix Surgeon’s cut series – Dr Devi Shetty is a cardiac surgeon who provides a fascinating insight into his journey through training to being a pioneer of cardiac surgery in India.  We discuss his fundamental mission of providing affordable healthcare to all at the point of need all over the world. Devi also talks passionately about the work being done by Narayana Healthcare...

This episode we focus on rural surgery and meet two somewhat unusual surgeons, Gordon McFarlane and Stuart Fergusson – people who do things a bit differently in a very unique setting. Rural surgery is clearly unconventional in terms of career path, and both Gordon and Stuart describe how they essentially carved out their own training programmes. Those already in the specialty have been working har...

From breast cancer surgeon to breast cancer surgeon with breast cancer, Woman of the Year Nominee Liz O’Riordan joins Sesi and greg on the podcast this week. Phenomenal, heartfelt, passionate, eloquent, honest and moving reflections from this amazing retired breast surgeon who shares her journey through diagnosis of breast cancer, treatment, recurrence as well as the psychological impact. Prepare...

In this episode of the Surgical Crossroads podcast, the focus turns to paediatric surgery with guests Christopher Driver, Robin Garrett-Cox, and Sesi Hotonu. Christopher, a consultant in Aberdeen, values the broad skillset the specialty offers and champions accessible, close-to-home care. Robin, based in Bristol, was drawn to the practical and precise nature of paediatric surgery, particularly in...

In this Surgical Crossroads episode, the focus is on oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS), featuring Manchester-based guests Sajid Sainuddin, Mary Coleman, and Aysha Nijamudeen. Consultant Sajid shares his journey from dentistry in India to complex head and neck cancer reconstruction in the UK, highlighting the collaborative nature of lengthy surgical procedures. ST6 Mary reflects on her dual den...

In this episode of Surgical Crossroads , the podcast ventures into the high-stakes world of neurosurgery with guests William Taylor, Aditaya Kumar, and Sanskrithi Sravanam. Consultant William Taylor shares insights from his 35-year career, reflecting on the evolution of neurosurgical training and his shift from spinal to skull base surgery. Aditaya, a senior trainee in Glasgow, explores the intric...

On the back of the recent World Patient Safety day, Tom Weiser, Trauma and General Surgeon at Stanford joins the Let’s Talk Surgery Podcast to talk some of his landmark patient safety initiatives including developing the WHO Surgical Checklist, and Lifebox ( www.lifebox.org ). Extremely fascinating, charismatic and inspiring reflections of his journey and the impact of these patient safety initiat...

In this Surgical Crossroads episode, the spotlight is on orthopaedic surgery with guests Sanjay Anand, Haroon Rehman, and FY1 doctor Dillon Vyas. Sanjay, a specialist in knee and sports injuries, combines clinical work with academic research and is passionate about teaching through collaborative team meetings. Haroon, an ST8 registrar and advocate for training and patient safety, draws satisfactio...

With increasing calls for medical report writing and being an expert witness training to be mandated, Sesi and Greg are joined by Isabel Litherland (Solicitor from Bond Solon), and Aidan Fitzgerald, Consultant plastic surgeon and convenor of education at RCSED. We take a deep dive into all aspects of being an expert witness, tips and pitfalls as well as the upcoming introductory course on expert w...

In this Surgical Crossroads episode of the Let’s Talk Surgery podcast, the focus is on urology, featuring Consultant Neil Fenn and registrar Kamran Hag. Neil, a leader in urological training and minimally invasive surgery in Wales, shares his journey from general surgery to subspecialising in urological oncology, highlighting advancements such as robotic-assisted procedures and his role in curricu...

In this episode of Surgical Crossroads , hosts Sesi Hotonu and Sadie Khwaja explore general surgery with guests Jane Macaskill, Kellie Bateman, Syed Zaidi, and fellow host Greg Ekatah. Jane, a breast surgeon in Tayside, shares how early inspiration and a passion for patient care led her to her specialty, including global health work in Palestine. Kellie, a registrar in Wales, highlights the suppor...

In this Surgical Crossroads episode of the Let’s Talk Surgery podcast, hosts speak with cardiothoracic surgeons Sridhar Rathinam, Gill Hardman, and Edward Caruana about their career journeys and insights into this demanding specialty. Sridhar, a consultant thoracic surgeon and educational leader, shares his lifelong passion for surgery and teaching. Gill, a registrar pursuing a PhD in transplantat...

In this episode of Surgical Crossroads, hosts Sesi Hotonu and Sadie Khwaja explore vascular surgery with guests Andy Garnham, Lauren Shelmerdine, and Tricia Tay. Andy, a consultant and key figure in vascular training development, reflects on the specialty’s evolution and the value of strong patient relationships due to the chronic nature of vascular conditions. Lauren, a registrar in research, emp...

In this episode of Surgical Crossroads , hosts Gregory Ekatah and Sadie Khwaja delve into the dynamic field of plastic surgery with guests Jeremy Rodriguez, Sarah Chadwick, and Sakiinah Mungroo. Consultant Jeremy shares how he unexpectedly found his passion for plastics, balancing clinical work with research in patient-reported outcomes. Trainee Sarah discusses her flexible training journey, shape...

The first episode of Surgical Crossroads: Choosing Your Specialty focuses on ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) Surgery, co-hosted by Sadie Khwaja and featuring Consultant Emma Stapleton, Registrar Todd Kanzara, and medical student Eman Hasan. The guests share personal journeys into ENT, from Emma’s emphasis on lifestyle compatibility and professional flexibility, to Todd’s career shift from law to medici...

The Let’s Talk Surgery podcast by RCSEd launches a new series, Surgical Crossroads: Choosing Your Specialty , aimed at guiding aspiring surgeons through the specialty selection process. Hosted by Greg Ekatah and Sesi Hotonu alongside ENT surgeon Sadie Khwaja, the 11-episode series extends insights from the Health Education England North West Career’s Fair to a wider audience. Each episode features...

Mr Simon Paterson-Brown joins the podcast as co-director of the MSc in Patient Safety & Clinical Human factors to discuss the aims of the course, its inception and applicability in everyday healthcare delivery.

Sesi and Paddy are joined by Ciaran McDonnell, Hannah Travers and Mimi Li, vascular surgeons across the grade spectrum for an interesting and insightful discussion around the workforce challenges that faces vascular surgery both now and in the future but also offer some solutions being considered and implemented by the Workforce Committee, Rouleaux club and the wider vascular community. Listen out...

Paddy and Sesi are joined by Ruth Benson, vascular trainee, and recent past president of the Vascular and Endovascular Research Network (VERN) to discuss innovative research during the COVID pandemic – COVER Study and her’s and VERN’s journey through research.

Ken & Steve along with guest host Rachel Falconer are joined by Professor Roger Kneebone, author of the book ‘Expert: Understanding the path to Mastery’.

Ken and Steve are joined by Hepatobiliary surgeon, scientist and culture change enthusiast, Carol-Anne Moulton from the University of Toronto to explore some of her research work and her personal experiences.

Ken and Steve are joined by Dr Michael Moneypenny, a consultant anaesthetist who talks passionately and with great insight on the use of debrief in simulation and in real life. The hows, whens and pitfalls.

Ken and Steve kick off their performance project series with Iya Whiteley, Director of Centre for Space Medicine, UCL.

RCSEd is pleased to partner with ‘Ken & Steve’ to bring the Performance Project Podcast series. Ken Walker and Professor Steve Yule will be hosting a series of podcast episodes talking to guests from a range of professions between health, psychology, space and others to discuss some of the challenges professional face and how these can be overcome to maximise performance. Worth a tuning in for...