Awards Committee

Professor Robin Paton is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon (with a special interest in Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery) and was first elected to the council in 2016. He holds an Honorary Chair at the Medical School at UCLAN and was awarded the King James IV Professorship from the college in 2016. A keen interest in surgical training has resulted in him being voted the 'North West Orthopaedic Trainer of the Year' on two occasions. A Fellow of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers, he has a continuing interest in undergraduate/postgraduate education and surgical research. In addition to being an examiner, he has helped to develop the Intercollegiate and International FRCS (T & O) examinations over the past 20 years.

Professor Rowan Parks is President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd), Professor of Surgical Sciences and Honorary Consultant Surgeon at the University of Edinburgh. He is also General Secretary of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA). He is Past-President of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI) and of the Great Britain & Ireland Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (GBIHPBA), and Past-Deputy Medical Director of NHS Education for Scotland (NES). He has published >180 papers, 48 book chapters, and 11 surgical textbooks. He has delivered >350 eponymous and invited lectures, has been awarded several prestigious prizes and awards.

Ms Clare McNaught is a Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon based in Harrogate. Her clinical interests include colorectal cancer, IBD and the impact of frailty on surgical outcomes. She has always been passionate about training and supporting the next generation of surgeons through her roles as educational supervisor, research mentor and MRCS examiner. In 2014, Clare founded the Younger Fellows' Committee to support surgeons in their transition from Registrar to Consultant practice. She is also the past Editor of Surgeons' News. Clare was elected to RCSEd Council in 2014 and was Honorary Secretary from 2020-2022. She was elected to the office of Vice President in 2022, the first woman to hold this role at this College.

Miss Amanda McCabe FRCS(paeds) is a consultant paediatric surgeon for 13 years, based at Ninewells Hospital Dundee and Royal Hospital for Children and Young Adults, Edinburgh. Her practice specialises in lower GI (Hirschsprungs disease and anorectal anomalies). During her career she has taken a keen interest in surgical training, with particular focus on basic skills and fine motor development. She examines for MRCS (UK and overseas) and FRCS(paeds) and chairs its question writing group. She is a member of the SAC for paediatric surgery and is current chair of Surgical Speciality Board (paed surg) at RCSEd. A keen gardener and dog walker with 2 teenage sons and a very understanding husband.

Professor Nirmal Kumar is Consultant ENT surgeon at WWL Teaching NHS Foundation Trust where he is also Associate Medical Director (RO responsibility). He served as President of ENT UK (2019-2022) and is currently Chair, ENT UK Foundation the philanthropic and fund-raising arm of ENT UK which seeks to invest in the specialty and to facilitate global innovation in surgery. Regionally, he led the ENT North West research network (GM CRN) for several years and conducts many NIHR trials. Nirmal is Honorary Clinical Professor at Edge Hill University Medical School where he leads several PG and UG training programmes. He is former vice chair of the Specialty Advisory Committee for otolaryngology, FRCS (ORL-HNS) examiner of the Royal College of Surgeons, Fellow of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers Edinburgh, Honorary Fellow of the Indian Academy and Sri Lankan College of ORL-HNS, and Fellow of Academy of Medical Educators. He has authored more than 200 publications in the medical literature and is MD, MCh, PhD examiner for several Universities in the UK and abroad, delivered invited and key note lectures around the world

I am a Consultant and Honorary Professor of Orthodontics in Dundee, Scotland. My clinical and research interests involve investigating the causes of clefts of the lip and palate, reducing the burden of cleft care, orthodontic and orthognathic care, the effectiveness of different forms of orthodontic treatment through primary research and systematic / Cochrane reviews, and addressing and validating innovative methods of imaging the dentition, the face and clefts in health and disease. My research work involves collaborations in the UK, Ireland, Iraq, China, South Africa and Australia. To date, I have been a co-author on >120 publications, a variety of books and book chapters, and £2.7M grant income. I have been an examiner and examiner assessor for a variety of RCSEd dental examinations for most of my postgraduate career and the College has provided me with many rewarding opportunities as my clinical and academic career has developed. I am currently Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery. One of the privileges of this role is to sit on the Research Committee and work with a dynamic team to encourage and enthuse College members at all stages of their career to develop their research portfolio. Today's research is tomorrow's healthcare and the RCSEd Research Committee has an important role in nurturing ideas and innovations in order to continue to improve global health standards and patient safety for future generations.