The Theatre: Surgical Learning & Innovation Podcast

In part one of our ongoing investigation of Ethical Leadership with Aya Musbahi and Salman Ahmed, listeners were invited to consider the concept of “ethical leadership,” as well as how this can be applied to surgeons in the modern health service. This second episode discusses the issue of efficiency in the context of healthcare, and how questions of efficiency and service delivery often become iss...

Despite advances in the field of sexual health medicine in recent years, there remain persistent myths and misconceptions, both amongst the general public, as well as between medical professionals who do not specialise in this area. Indeed, the stigmas surrounding conditions such as HIV and syphilis may have repercussions for patient care if health practitioners are unable to properly administer t...

The authority gap between men and other genders in surgery will perhaps take years to equilibrate, but is this gap getting wider with more women of colour entering surgical specialities? Is it natural for men to automatically assign women in surgery to the roles of a scrub nurse, a translator, a scribe, or a receptionist? The podcast features the hurdles that women of colour experience in the work...

Over the last three years Chris Lewis and James Tomlinson have developed a new surgical boot camp for ST3 trauma and orthopaedic trainees at their trust in Yorkshire, focusing on leadership, professionalism, and the complexities of the registrar role, with an aim towards getting the most from the surgical team around them in the pursuit of outstanding patient care. The sessions have been delivered...

This is a re-release of the first episode of our four-part series on LGBTQ+ people in surgery. We're bringing this episode to the top of the list again, because we are hosting a conference event for LGBTQ+ surgeons on the 25th of March, both in person at the RCS England building in London, as well as online. It is an all-day event, with plenty of speakers and opportunities for networking. For more...

In this episode, Upper GI trainees Aya Musbahi and Salman Ahmed consider the concept of ethical leadership and what this means for surgeons striving to embed ethical practices within the structures of the modern health service. This conversation is the first instalment of an ongoing discussion between Aya and Salman on these themes, which we will return to at various points throughout the year. He...

Welcome back to the Theatre for 2022! In this episode, consultant vascular surgeon Ginny Bowbrick meets with consultant ENT surgeon Ekpemi Irune to discuss the flawed nature of the term “imposter syndrome” and how this concept, in addition to being poorly defined and widely misunderstood, can be linked to broader issues surrounding confidence, belonging and emotional safety. Through this conversat...

This is the second of a two-part discussion on the shared theatre environment, featuring a panel of both surgeons and anaesthetists reaching across the curtain to reflect on the cultural similarities and differences between two specialties that can often seem divided despite working mere feet apart. Following from the previous discussion on theatre culture, this episode will focus on the differenc...

This is the first of a two-part discussion on the shared theatre environment, featuring a panel of both surgeons and anaesthetists reaching across the curtain to reflect on the cultural similarities and differences between two specialties that can often seem divided despite working mere feet apart. These episodes are presented by orthopaedic ST3 Karen Chui, anaesthetic consultant Deirdre Conway, a...

In this episode, Emerging Leaders programme lead and colorectal consultant Trish Boorman, and registrar Niroshini Rajaretnam discuss the nature of positive influence in surgery, in terms of both the people that have influenced them in the past, as well as being a positive influence upon those just starting their careers. Applications for the Emerging Leaders programme will re-open in Autumn 2022....

This is the tenth episode in an ongoing series on the theme of Health Inequalities, which we will return to throughout the year. It has been developed in collaboration with Melanin Medics, a national UK charity organisation focusing on promoting diversity in medicine, widening aspirations and aiding career progression for the Afro-Caribbean community. Throughout the course of the series, we will e...

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive and Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon Georgette Oni leads a diverse panel considering the question, "Whose breast cancer service is it anyway?" Featuring Consultant Breast Surgeon and breast cancer survivor, Rosie Stanton; community champion, entrepreneur and breast cancer survivor, Leanne Pero; and Associate Professor in...

This is the fourth and final part of an ongoing series on the theme of LGBTQ+ people in surgery. Building on the themes introduced in the previous episodes, Ginny Bowbrick, consultant vascular surgeon, and Chloe Scott, consultant orthopaedic surgeon will in this episode interview Royal College of Surgeons of England Vice President, Tim Mitchell, and Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh council m...

This is the ninth episode in an ongoing series on the theme of Health Inequalities, which we will return to throughout the year. It has been developed in collaboration with Melanin Medics, a national UK charity organisation focusing on promoting diversity in medicine, widening aspirations and aiding career progression for the Afro-Caribbean community. Throughout the course of the series, we will e...

This is the eighth episode in an ongoing series on the theme of Health Inequalities, which we will return to throughout the year. It has been developed in collaboration with Melanin Medics, a national UK charity organisation focusing on promoting diversity in medicine, widening aspirations and aiding career progression for the Afro-Caribbean community. Throughout the course of the series, we will...

This is the seventh episode in an ongoing series on the theme of Health Inequalities, which we will return to throughout the year. It has been developed in collaboration with Melanin Medics, a national UK charity organisation focusing on promoting diversity in medicine, widening aspirations and aiding career progression for the Afro-Caribbean community. Throughout the course of the series, we will...

This is the sixth episode in an ongoing series on the theme of Health Inequalities, which we will return to throughout the year. It has been developed in collaboration with Melanin Medics, a national UK charity organisation focusing on promoting diversity in medicine, widening aspirations and aiding career progression for the Afro-Caribbean community. Throughout the course of the series, we will e...

This is the third of a four-part series on the theme of LGBTQ+ people in surgery. In this episode, Ginny Bowbrick, consultant vascular surgeon, interviews Philippa Burns, also a consultant vascular surgeon, about her experiences coming out at work as a transgender surgeon. This discussion considers the nature of privilege and respectability in the surgical community, the attitudes of patients and...

This is the second of a four-part series on the theme of LGBTQ+ people in surgery. In this episode, we present a panel discussion on life as LGBTQ+ trainee, presented by Ginny Bowbrick, consultant vascular surgeon in conversation with trainees Karen Chui, Greta McLachlan, and Alexander Stephenson-Allen. This episode will consider the attitudes of colleagues to out surgeons in the workplace, the im...

This is the first of a four-part series on the theme of LGBTQ+ people in surgery. In this episode, we present a panel discussion on life as an consultant, presented by Ginny Bowbrick, consultant vascular surgeon, Chloe Scott, consultant hip and knee surgeon, Nick Ferran, consultant shoulder and elbow surgeon, and Mark Bagnall, consultant colorectal surgeon. This episode will consider the attitudes...

This is the fifth episode in an ongoing series on the theme of Health Inequalities, which we will return to throughout the year. It has been developed in collaboration with Melanin Medics, a national UK charity organisation focusing on promoting diversity in medicine, widening aspirations and aiding career progression for the Afro-Caribbean community. Throughout the course of the series, we will e...

This is the fourth episode in an ongoing series on the theme of Health Inequalities, which we will return to throughout the year. It has been developed in collaboration with Melanin Medics, a national UK charity organisation focusing on promoting diversity in medicine, widening aspirations and aiding career progression for the Afro-Caribbean community. Throughout the course of the series, we will...

This is the third episode in an ongoing series on the theme of Health Inequalities, developed in collaboration with Melanin Medics, a national UK charity organisation focusing on promoting diversity in medicine, widening aspirations and aiding career progression for the Afro-Caribbean community. Continuing the discussion on protected characteristics in relation to patient care, this episode will f...

In this episode, we present a panel discussion on the nature of “human factors” in surgery, presented by Peter Brennan, consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Louise Cousins, trainee general surgeon, Neil Tayler, British Airways pilot and trainer, and Graham Shaw, also a British Airways pilot and Director of Critical Factors, a consulting and training service for professionals operating in saf...

This is the second episode in an ongoing series on the theme of Health Inequalities, which we will return to throughout the year. It has been developed in collaboration with Melanin Medics, a national UK charity organisation focusing on promoting diversity in medicine, widening aspirations and aiding career progression for the Afro-Caribbean community. Throughout the course of the series, we will...