SAS and Locum Consultants Committee Members

Helen Jones is a Specialty Doctor in Colorectal Surgery in Oxford. Following her training in the Mersey region, she took a ten-year career break away from medicine, during which she pursued further study and travel for five years and worked as a statistician for the subsequent five years. Upon returning to medicine, she resumed her medical career and has been serving as a Specialty Doctor since 2015. In addition to her clinical role, Helen serves as an SAS tutor, actively contributing to the development of SAS doctors locally. She is also engaged in research and postgraduate medical education.

Mr Lasitha Bhagya Samarakoon (MBBS (Col.), MRCSEd, MMed (NUS), ChM (UoE), FEBS (EBSQ), FRCSGlasg, FRCSEd (Gen), FFSTEd) graduated from the University of Colombo in 2010 with First-class honours. Subsequently, he completed general surgical residency training and obtained fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh (RCSEd) in 2020. He has been actively engaged in clinical practice, academic research, and medical education for more than a decade. His involvement in both local and international research projects has resulted in numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and abstracts presented at national and international conferences. Additionally, he has authored and published several books. Mr Samarakoon serves as a clinical tutor for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and the Leicester Medical School. He participates as teaching faculty in numerous surgical courses conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), as well as the University of Edinburgh (UOE). Furthermore, he serves as an Examiner for the Intercollegiate Committee of Basic Surgical Examinations (ICBSE) and is a current member of the Specialty Board for General Surgery (SSB GS) at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd). In addition to his busy clinical practice, Mr Samarakoon is an avid chess player, reader, amateur pilot, and aviation enthusiast. He finds joy in teaching, training, and mentoring the next generation of surgeons. He is extremely passionate about helping SAS LED doctors overcome hurdles to navigate and achieve their full potential in their careers, across a variety of roles and aspects.

Mamun Dornseifer is currently working as a Trust Grade Doctor in the Department of General Surgery at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust in London. Previously, he has held positions at Barts Health NHS Trust and Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Currently, he serves as a BMA Local Negotiating Committee (LNC) Representative at North Middlesex Hospital. With a keen interest in emergency general surgery and trauma surgery, Mamun is also passionate about collaborative surgical research and teaching medical students and Foundation Year-grade junior doctors.

Mr Paul Yang is a Specialty Doctor in Vascular Surgery at NHS Lanarkshire. Following his initial medical training, he pursued a period of full-time research, earning MSc (Med Sci) and PhD degrees in cardiovascular science from the University of Glasgow. In 2018, he was appointed as a Specialty Doctor. Throughout his career, Mr Yang has developed interests in urgical education and research. He holds the position of Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, where he supervises both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Additionally, he serves as a Tutor for the MSc in Surgical Sciences at the University of Edinburgh (UOE). He holds a Diploma of the Membership of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers (MFSTEd). Mr Yang actively participates in various committees representing SAS doctors nationally. He currently serves as the Deputy Chair of the SAS Committee at BMA Scotland. Furthermore, he represents SAS on the Surgical Specialty Board (SSB) in Vascular Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd).

Mr Sanjit Das is an Associate Specialist in Urology from the South West of England. He is actively engaged in SAS matters both locally and regionally, and he eagerly anticipates becoming involved with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) to support his SAS surgical colleagues.

Mr Ajay Bajoria is an Associate Specialist in Trauma and Orthopaedics at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton. He is the SAS lead at Queens Hospital, Burton, and is also the SAS representative at the PG School of Surgery, West Midlands. With a keen interest in SAS matters, Mr Bajoria actively participates in the Joint Local Negotiating Committee (JLNC) and Local Negotiating Committee (LNC) at UHDB FT. Having worked as a Locum Educational Supervisor, SAS, and Locum Consultant, he possesses comprehensive experience in addressing the challenges encountered by colleagues in these roles. Mr Bajoria is interested in teaching and training, evident from his completion of a PGCE in Healthcare Leadership, which includes medical education. Additionally, he is an educational supervisor for trainees. His qualifications include MS Orthopaedics from India, MSc Surgery of Trauma from Birmingham, MCh Orth. from Liverpool, and FRCS Ed.T&O.

Mr Daniel Odhiambo Ochieng (LIMIS, BSc Anat (Hons), M.B.Ch.B., MCS(ECSA), FC Neurosurg (SA), FRCSEd (Neuro.Surg)), is a neurosurgeon and spine surgeon trained in Kenya, South Africa, and Britain. Prior to entering medical school, he had a background in information technology and artificial intelligence, where he was drawn to the parallels between information networks and the nervous system. His passion for medical education led him to become involved in anatomy teaching, serving as a prosector and demonstrator in human anatomy for medical, dental, and pharmacy students. Following medical school, he pursued his initial neurosurgical training in Cape Town, South Africa, and completed a travelling fellowship in paediatric neurosurgery at the Boston Children's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Subsequently, he relocated to the UK, where he completed a paediatric neurosurgery fellowship at Kings College Hospital in London, and an Orthopaedic Spinal Fellowship at the Royal London Hospital, Barts NHS Health Trust. He also worked as a Locum Consultant in Paediatric Neurosurgery at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Currently, Mr Ochieng holds the position of Sir Hugh Cairns RCS approved Complex Neurosurgical Spine Fellow at the Royal London Hospital. Mr Ochieng has a keen interest in improving the welfare and well-being of SAS and Locum doctors, particularly surgeons within the NHS.

Mr Tim Graham (RCSEd Vice-President) is a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Senior Lecturer in Clinical Surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, University of Birmingham and Royal Centre for Defence Medicine UK and a Civilian Consultant Cardiac Surgeon to the British Army. Mr Graham is a joint founder of the National Birmingham Review course in Cardiothoracic surgery and the National Birmingham Professional Development Course. Furthermore, he is a joint founder and convenor of the Asian Cardiothoracic Surgery Specialty Update Course (ACSSUC). In recognition of his contributions, Mr Graham received Honorary Fellowship from the Indian Association of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons in 2011 and the Distinguished Surgeon Award from the Academy of Medicine Singapore in 2013.

Mr. Karthikeyan. P. Iyengar (MS (Orth), DNB (Orth), MRCS (Edn), MCh (Orth) (Liv), FRCS (Tr&Orth), FFSTEd, FAcadMEd (AoME)) has been a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) since 2009 and joined the SASLC Committee in November 2022. He currently works at Southport & Ormskirk NHS Trust in Merseyside, UK. He has been conferred with the title of Honorary Professor at Apollo Hospitals Educational and Research Foundation (AHERF) for his significant contributions to global teaching, training in Medical Education, and Research Scholarship. As a Fellow of Faculty of Surgical Trainers (FST) at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd), and Fellow of the Academy of Medical Educators (AoME), he demonstrates a strong interest in delivering Medical Education, particularly in Trauma & Orthopaedics, to a diverse group of Doctors and Allied Health Professionals. Mr. Iyengar is currently an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer in the MCh (Trauma & Orthopaedics) programme at Edge Hill University, UK. His research portfolio boasts more than 135 PubMed indexed articles with over 2500 citations. He holds the position of sub-speciality Deputy Editor at the Journal of Clinical Orthopaedics & Trauma (JCOT) and serves as an Associate Editor at the Journal of Orthopaedics (JOO) and Journal of Orthopaedic Reports (JOREP), published by Elsevier.

Nader Ibrahim is currently working as an Locum Educational Doctor (LED) at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery department. After completing his dentistry studies and training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Cairo, Egypt, and obtaining membership in OMFS (MOMS RCSEd), he made the decision to relocate to the UK to pursue a career in OMFS. SASO roles provide him with greater stability, enabling him to work in a field he is passionate about. Nader is enthusiastic about education and is dedicated to encouraging more dentists to join the specialty.

Catherine Diver joined the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) SAS committee in 2022 and also holds the position of RCSEd Educational Tutor. She has been a specialty doctor in the ENT department of the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, for almost 20 years. Within her ENT department, Catherine serves as the Quality Improvement and Governance lead and is a member of her Trust's Quality Improvement (QI) faculty. She actively participates in teaching on the Specialist Trainees Engaged in Leadership Programme (STEP). Since 2020, Catherine has been an advisory committee member to the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) in Northern Ireland. Outside of work, Catherine competes in and coaches athletics.

Ms Julie Craig is the SAS (Staff Grade, Associate Specialist & Specialty Doctor) representative on the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh's Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgical Specialty Board. She works as an Orthopaedic Specialty Doctor at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Julie graduated from Queen’s University in Belfast and has since completed a Master’s degree in Clinical Education at Queen’s University, as well as a Master’s degree in Orthopaedic Engineering from Cardiff University. She currently serves as the undergraduate educational lead for fractures at Queen’s University Belfast and the Belfast Health & Social Care Trust. Additionally, she teaches quality improvement and leadership skills to doctors within the Belfast Trust as part of the quality improvement faculty.

Julie has a special interest in clinical data analysis and project design. She holds the position of Belfast Trust’s specialty improvement lead for their fracture inpatient database. Furthermore, she serves as the Northern Ireland lead for the National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD), is a member of the NHFD advisory group, and sits on the board of the Royal College of Physicians’ Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme. She is also a member of the British Medical Association Northern Ireland SAS committee and represents SAS on the British Orthopaedic Association’s Education & Careers Committee.

Julie’s publications include contributions to peer-reviewed journals and chapters in a trauma and orthopaedic nursing textbook. She has received prizes for Best Presentation at the British Trauma Society, Best Abstract at the Irish Hip Fracture Database Annual Meeting, the Bone and Joint Journal Prize, and a "highlight paper" at the Orthopaedic Trauma Association.

Mr Nishan Fernando (MBChB, MRCSEd, FHEA, FFSTEd) is a Specialty Surgeon in the North of Scotland Cardiothoracic Surgical Unit, bringing with him 16 years of experience in Cardiothoracics. Currently serving as the SAS representative on the Cardiothoracic Surgical Specialty Board, he commenced his term in November 2022. Additionally, Mr Fernando holds the position of Scoring Panel Member for the RCSEd.

Mr Lasitha Bhagya Samarakoon (MBBS (Col.), MRCSEd, MMed (NUS), ChM (UoE), FEBS (EBSQ), FRCSGlasg, FRCSEd (Gen), FFSTEd) graduated from the University of Colombo in 2010 with First-class honours. Subsequently, he completed general surgical residency training and obtained fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh (RCSEd) in 2020. He has been actively engaged in clinical practice, academic research, and medical education for more than a decade. His involvement in both local and international research projects has resulted in numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and abstracts presented at national and international conferences. Additionally, he has authored and published several books. Mr Samarakoon serves as a clinical tutor for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and the Leicester Medical School. He participates as teaching faculty in numerous surgical courses conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), as well as the University of Edinburgh (UOE). Furthermore, he serves as an Examiner for the Intercollegiate Committee of Basic Surgical Examinations (ICBSE) and is a current member of the Specialty Board for General Surgery (SSB GS) at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd). In addition to his busy clinical practice, Mr Samarakoon is an avid chess player, reader, amateur pilot, and aviation enthusiast. He finds joy in teaching, training, and mentoring the next generation of surgeons. He is extremely passionate about helping SAS LED doctors overcome hurdles to navigate and achieve their full potential in their careers, across a variety of roles and aspects.

Mr Daniel Odhiambo Ochieng (LIMIS, BSc Anat (Hons), M.B.Ch.B., MCS(ECSA), FC Neurosurg (SA), FRCSEd (Neuro.Surg)), is a neurosurgeon and spine surgeon trained in Kenya, South Africa, and Britain. Prior to entering medical school, he had a background in information technology and artificial intelligence, where he was drawn to the parallels between information networks and the nervous system. His passion for medical education led him to become involved in anatomy teaching, serving as a prosector and demonstrator in human anatomy for medical, dental, and pharmacy students. Following medical school, he pursued his initial neurosurgical training in Cape Town, South Africa, and completed a travelling fellowship in paediatric neurosurgery at the Boston Children's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Subsequently, he relocated to the UK, where he completed a paediatric neurosurgery fellowship at Kings College Hospital in London, and an Orthopaedic Spinal Fellowship at the Royal London Hospital, Barts NHS Health Trust. He also worked as a Locum Consultant in Paediatric Neurosurgery at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Currently, Mr Ochieng holds the position of Sir Hugh Cairns RCS approved Complex Neurosurgical Spine Fellow at the Royal London Hospital. Mr Ochieng has a keen interest in improving the welfare and well-being of SAS and Locum doctors, particularly surgeons within the NHS.

Mr Paul Yang is a Specialty Doctor in Vascular Surgery at NHS Lanarkshire. Following his initial medical training, he pursued a period of full-time research, earning MSc (Med Sci) and PhD degrees in cardiovascular science from the University of Glasgow. In 2018, he was appointed as a Specialty Doctor. Throughout his career, Mr Yang has developed interests in urgical education and research. He holds the position of Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, where he supervises both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Additionally, he serves as a Tutor for the MSc in Surgical Sciences at the University of Edinburgh (UOE). He holds a Diploma of the Membership of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers (MFSTEd). Mr Yang actively participates in various committees representing SAS doctors nationally. He currently serves as the Deputy Chair of the SAS Committee at BMA Scotland. Furthermore, he represents SAS on the Surgical Specialty Board (SSB) in Vascular Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd).

Mrs Gillian Winter graduated from Aberdeen Medical School in 2004 and completed her paediatric surgical training in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Birmingham. In 2017, she was appointed as a Specialty Doctor in Paediatric Surgery at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital (RACH). From 2019 to 2023, she served as the Clinical Lead for Paediatric Trauma in the North of Scotland. Currently, Mrs Winter holds the position of lead for simulation within RACH and chairs the patient safety group within the hospital. She plays a significant role in medical education, contributing to both undergraduate and postgraduate training programmes.

Mr Rickaz Raheem has a robust background in SAS and was recently appointed Consultant Urologist following a successful CESR application. He is a member of the Urology Surgical Specialty Board at RCSEd. Additionally, he serves as the co-chair of the Intercollegiate Surgical Education Committee for SAS/LED and NCHD (ISECSN), as well as the secretary for the newly formed Section of SAS and Trust Urologists for the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS). Mr Raheem also represents SAS/LED at the Joint Committee on Intercollegiate Examinations (JCIE). Furthermore, he holds the position of Educational Tutor at RCSEd. Outside of work, Mr Raheem is passionate about supporting Portfolio Pathway candidates. He organises programs and delivers talks to offer invaluable guidance and mentorship.

Mr Shyam Singam completed his undergraduate and ENT postgraduate training at Coimbatore and Madras Medical Colleges in India between 1981 and 1989. He then underwent training in the Republic of Ireland, where he attained his ENT Fellowship in 1995. Subsequently, after freelancing in various locations across the UK, he relocated to Torbay, where he currently works as an Associate Specialist ENT Surgeon. His special interests include BAHA surgery, Sleep Disordered Breathing, Coblation surgery, and Acupuncture. Mr Singam has previously held the position of SAS Chair at Torbay and was a member of the LNC for eight years, also serving as the past ENT UK SAS Chair. Outside of work, Mr Singham enjoys playing golf, gardening (hard labour at an allotment that churns out Rhubarb gin and Cherry vodka) and cooking.

Rohan Sawant, MBBS, DNB (Ophthalmology), FRCS Glasgow (Ophth.), MRCSEd. (Ophthalmology), FRCOphth, graduated from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, India in 2003. He subsequently completed training in Ophthalmology in India and obtained Fellowships from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd), The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOPHTH), and The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (RCPSG). He is actively involved in clinical practice and has worked in India and Ethiopia. He joined the NHS in 2017 and has worked in the Isle of Wight and currently in Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust. As a life member of ‘The All India Ophthalmic Society’, he takes a keen interest in sharing his experience and presenting topics about approaching UK Fellowship exams from a non-UK Training programme perspective. He currently represents SAS on the Surgical Speciality Board (SSB) in Ophthalmology at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd). Outside of work and Ophthalmology, he enjoys playing cricket, cooking, and singing. He aims to support SAS Colleagues in their career progression.

Prasenjit Goswami MBBS, MS General Surgery, MRCSEd, DNB Plastic Surgery, graduated from Silchar Medical College, India, in 1998 and did his residency in hospitals in New Delhi. He pursued General Surgery and earned a Master's in Surgery from Gauhati Medical College, India, in 2006. He completed his certification from the National Board of Examinations, India, in Plastic Surgery in 2014 and served as a Specialist Plastic Surgeon at Tata Main Hospital, Jamshedpur, India, before moving to the United Kingdom. At present, he is working as a Specialty Doctor in the Department of Plastic Surgery at NHS Lothian. His interests include skin cancer, general and facial plastic surgery. He has been involved in various plastic surgery outreach programmes in remote areas of India and has conducted multiple burn awareness campaigns. He was awarded the Young Investigator Prize at the International Society of Burn Injuries Congress held in Edinburgh in 2012 for his work in the treatment of burns. Prasenjit currently represents SAS on the Surgical Specialty Board (SSB) for Plastic Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and is a member of the BAPRAS Professional Standards Committee. Prasenjit has a keen interest in artificial intelligence and is working with colleagues in information technology to develop programmes to assist clinical decisions. Outside of work, he is a passionate music lover and enjoys trekking.