Surgical Education Research and Innovation Lab (SERI Lab)
Understanding How to Equip Tomorrow’s Surgeons, for Tomorrow’s Patients
In 2024, the College has launched a new group focused on surgical education research and innovation. The aim of the SERI Lab is to build a body of academic work to understand how best to equip tomorrow’s surgeons and teams to care for tomorrow's patients effectively, compassionately, excellently and safely, and to enjoy long and rewarding careers.
The new lab is co-hosted by RCSEd and NHS Highland and will collaborate on projects with other trusts and health boards, universities, deaneries, surgical associations, and patient groups.
The College has appointed two chairs to lead the new unit, each bringing a wealth of experience:
- Jennifer Cleland - Wade Professor of Surgical Education Research (supported by the Pilmuir Trust)
- Kenneth Walker - Professor of Innovation in Surgical Education (supported by NHS Highland)
In previous years, Professors Walker and Cleland, alongside their colleagues, have led and evaluated numerous projects in collaboration with health boards, deaneries, Royal Colleges, and other professionals. These projects have addressed perceived gaps, inconsistencies, and opportunities in surgical education. The SERI Lab is strongly focused on building research capacity, providing mentorship, and making the process enjoyable. Professors Cleland and Walker have successfully supervised surgical research fellows through to the completion of their PhDs, MDs or MScs.
Examples include:
- Developing and evaluating: bootcamps and simulation strategies for surgical training programmes in Scotland;
- Take-home deliberate practice programmes;
- Examining expert decision making using techniques developed for space medicine;
- A helical training programme in Consultation Skills for surgeons - “COSMOS” – (including a module on “when it all goes wrong”);
- They also have a track record of research in predicting performance in surgical training, training culture, and examining organisational and educational challenges in workplace training and education.
View Previous Surgical Education Projects View Research Fellows
In the new lab, several projects are already in development, and other ideas are "on the shelf."
Some available project ideas currently include:
- Rural Surgical training;
- Faculty coaching for courses;
- Blended and multimodal NOTSS training for global surgery;
- Using head-camera cued recall and debrief to build a peer-to-peer training resource;
- Thematic analysis of patients’ gratitude and complaint letters;
- Qualitative evaluation of existing Surgical Education international partnerships with Nepal, Palestine or the NOTSS course partner countries.
However, future research fellows may bring their own proposals.
New Applications
From Autumn 2024 onwards, applications will be invited from prospective surgical fellows who may wish to join our lab. You may choose to come "out-of-programme" for research. Ideally, you will already have a salary arranged from a Trust, Health Board, or other employer or grant provider, but we are open to hearing from applicants:
- With or without an arranged salary;
- With a project idea or looking for one of ours;
- With or without an interested co-supervisor from a base institution or programme.
Download Application Form
We are also keen to hear from surgical training providers seeking help with the evaluation of interventions or who have complex problems they wish to develop into research questions and studies. Contact us at serilab@rcsed.ac.uk.
Our first three research fellows, from August 2024, are:
- Emudiaga Emanuwa - Video-assisted coaching in communication skills for surgeons (for PhD, Edinburgh);
- Anna Kieslich - An integrated approach to robotic surgical training (for PhD, Aberdeen);
- Rahee Mapara - Differential experience of workplace-based assessments in surgical training (for PhD, Glasgow).
