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As we approach the end of 2023 I find myself reflecting on key College activities I have been involved in over the last six months. A lot has happened during this time, and alongside my fellow Office Bearers and Council Members, we have sought to strengthen existing relationships while forging new connections throughout the world.

I was privileged to open the ESPINEA World Summit, held from 13 to 15 July, which brought together numerous sports medicine physicians and healthcare workers for a fabulous conference at the RCSEd. The focus of the summit was on training and education, fostering community and much more. Several elite sports stars highlighted the importance of a team approach to managing and recovering from injury, enabling them to return to top-level sport.

It was then time for my first international trip since my illness back in March, as I felt well enough to go to India for a number of visits. The first stop was in Bengaluru to visit entrepreneur Kiran Muzindar-Shaw – who would join the Board of Regents later in the year – to discuss the College and its current strategy.

I then travelled on to Chennai to help with the MRCS exams hosted by RCSEd Council Member Sai Vittal. The trip concluded with a visit to the Apollo Hospital Simulation Centre in Chennai, where we discussed how simulation can be used to improve healthcare. I hope the College will have the opportunity to collaborate with this centre in running training events and courses in the future.

Royal support

August presented several great networking opportunities on home soil and further afield. On 7 August I met with Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, at the City Chambers, together with representatives of other historic bodies in Edinburgh including the Convenery of Trades. The Duke of Edinburgh was keen to determine how he can support the city and these various organisations in the future.

Later that week I chaired a meeting with our corporate partner Intuitive and other stakeholders in developing a robotic training programme for surgical trainees in Scotland. There is no doubt that robotics will become more and more widely utilised and it is important that the College plays its part in the training and education of the next generation of surgeons. 

International celebration

Increasing our international presence is a key goal for the College. At the end of August I visited Malaysia to take part in the celebrations surrounding the fifth anniversary of our International Office in Kuala Lumpur (see p6). This trip was packed full of activities, including a diploma ceremony for almost 100 new diplomates and an MRCS exam diet.

We also held a dinner with His Royal Highness Tuanku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir to celebrate this milestone for our office in Malaysia. The College is honoured to have worked closely with His Royal Highness over recent years and to be able to offer the Tuanku Muhriz Fellowship in Rural Surgery for another year, applications of which are currently open (more details can be found on the RCSEd website).

I joined with other Office Bearers in visiting Sri Lanka for an MRCS exam diet and our annual joint meeting with the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka. We took the opportunity to hold engagement events with trainees and established Fellows and Members of our College.

Collaboration is key

Closer to home two new Council Members, Farhat Din and Haroon Rehman, were elected in September, and Angus Watson was re-elected. I welcome them all to the team and look forward to working closely with them throughout my time as President of the College.

Senior officers of the four surgical Royal Colleges meet on a regular basis to ensure we speak with one voice in surgery. In September I had the pleasure of being awarded an Honorary FRCS by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow at a ceremony in the stunning Bute Hall, part of the University of Glasgow, and feel extremely honoured to have been recognised in this way. I consider collaboration and close working with our sister colleges to be important in promoting excellence in surgical education, training and assessment, and in the maintenance of professional standards.

Mourning my father and mentor

On 19 September my father, former Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland President George Parks, passed away. Undoubtedly, he was the greatest influence in my surgical career. Although the term ‘mentorship’ was rarely used when I finished medical school, dad was an outstanding mentor, not only to me but to literally hundreds of others.

I have had the privilege of following in his footsteps in many aspects of my professional career. We were both awarded personal chairs as Professor of Surgical Sciences in our respective universities, both were President of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain & Ireland and both served as President of a Royal College of Surgeons. However, his greatest influence for me will be his character as a father and role model in every aspect of his professional, personal and family life.

Exciting events

College Council met in early October and this was followed by a wonderful diploma ceremony. It was inspiring to see diplomates celebrating their achievements in the historic surroundings of the College. Diploma ceremonies are always amazing opportunities to hear stories from those just starting off or furthering their careers in surgery or dentistry, and to discover how they found their way to the College. They are without a doubt one of the highlights of my College calendar.

The RCSEd was pleased to welcome delegates to our Quincentenary Building for the Indo-UK Surgicon 2023, the second RCSEd collaborative conference with the Indian Association of Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons on 9 and 10 October. The theme of the conference was Excellence and Safety in Minimal Access Surgery, and topics of discussion included robotics, endoscopy, bariatric surgery and more. It was wonderful to see so many spouses also attend, adding colour and joy to all the fabulous social activities.

At the time of writing I still have a lot to look forward to before the year’s activity concludes. The Faculty of Surgical Trainers Annual Conference looks to reshape the future of surgical education and training. I will meet with Karin Smyth MP, Shadow Health Minister, together with other representatives of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. I will also travel to Boston to attend the American College of Surgeons annual conference. Then, of course, there’s the College’s Annual General Meeting in November, alongside Council and RSA meetings.

This has been an exciting year for the College and I hope you have enjoyed following our journey through this year’s editions of Surgeons’ News, our blog and more. I wish you all a happy and prosperous start to 2024.

Professor Rowan Parks
president@rcsed.ac.uk