Speakers
4-6 June 2025 | The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh | Register your Interest
Meet the Speakers
David J. O'Regan
Consultant cardiac surgeon in Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust 2001 -2022. 1) Yorkshire Heart Centre Wetlab - raised r £60 000.00 to establish a state-of-the-art skills centre. 2) SCTS approved 'PAR Course’ have been running for 23 years 3) Black Belt Academy of Surgical Skills - www.BBASS.org has global following 4) Director of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers the RCSEd 2019 - 2022. 5) Silver Scalpel Award since 1999 to date- to identify the Best Surgical Trainer in the UK. 6) Visiting Professor Imperial College – 2020 to 2023 with the online Masters in Surgical Education Program.
David Wightwick CMG
David Wightwick CMG is the CEO of the humanitarian medical NGO, UK-Med, which he first joined in 2018. Beginning his career as an aid worker in Kosovo with International Medical Corps, he has led and managed humanitarian responses to complex crises for Save the Children, the World Health Organization, Merlin, and GOAL. A leader by example, David has spent the majority of the first six months of the year in the Gaza Strip as UK-Med Team Lead, overseeing the construction of two field hospitals, surgical support for Gaza’s hospitals, and coordinating the expansion of UK-Med’s humanitarian response, which has so far treated nearly 200,000 people.
Douglas S. Smink
Douglas S. Smink, MD, MPH is the Chief of Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital and the Vice Chair of Education for the Department of Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is also a Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Smink received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed general surgery residency at the Brigham. Dr. Smink serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Surgical Education, and he is a member of Academy of Master Surgeon Educators through the American College of Surgeons. He is the Past-President of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Dr. Smink’s research focuses on resident and faculty education and patient safety through simulation, team training, and coaching. He leads the Surgical Coaching for Operative Performance Enhancement (SCOPE) Program, where he helps lead a program of peer-coaching and performance improvement for surgeons.
Dr Rhodri D Phillip OBE
Trained in the army and became a consultant in 2008, taking on one of the complex trauma teams at DMRC Headley Court. Progressed to clinical lead for the service and was involved in many initiatives including osseointegration, novel orthotics and exoskeleton use. Chaired the military genital injury service and was involved in multiple research initiatives involving trauma care. Longstanding history of working in multi-disciplinary teams across multiple specialties, learning from my colleagues along the way and hopefully improving outcomes as a result. Progressed to Clinical Director of DMRC Headley Court and then Stanford Hall, leading the clinical team through that move and their response to the COVID pandemic. Retired from military service in 2021 and have worked in private healthcare since in a range of roles. Very honoured as a non-surgeon to have been asked to come and speak to you all.
Lisa Hadfield-Law
Having spent 20 years in clinical practice and 20 years in surgical education, Lisa has been immersed in both cultures and was, therefore, in a unique position to provide educational & leadership support . She has managed an orthopaedic/trauma service at a teaching hospital and has insight into the circumstances and challenges facing surgical teams. * Surgical educator since 1992 * Trained over 15,000 surgeons in 68 countries of Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. * Previously 20 years of trauma nursing experience in the UK and abroad * Head of Nursing - St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London * Trained as a virtual teacher in 2016 & 2020 * BOA Education Advisor from 2012 to 2024 Currently * Consultant surgical educator UK and abroad * Education Advisor to AOUK&I * Lead for Future Leaders Programme * British Orthopaedic Association & * Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh * Lead Foundations in Surgical Leadership & Dental Leadership- the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh * Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers - the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh * Honorary Fellow British Orthopaedic Association * Faculty of Surgical Trainers Advisory Board * Current focus - leadership for surgeons & dentists.
Professor Steven Yule
Professor Steven Yule is Chair of Behavioural Sciences at the Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh where he leads the Surgical Sabermetrics Laboratory within the Centre for Medical Informatics. He is also Programme Director of the MSc in Patient Safety and Clinical Human Factors within Edinburgh Surgery Online, and Faculty Director of Non-Technical Skills at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Prof. Yule is an academic psychologist and human factors scientist; internationally recognized for his work in non-technical skills, patient safety, and surgical team simulation. He has extensive experience studying team performance across industrial sectors, including healthcare, energy, transportation, space exploration, and elite athletics. Current work includes automating assessments of technical and team skills, embedding video and sensors to measure clinical expertise, and translating performance analytics from professional sports to enhance surgical performance in low, middle and high resource contexts. Research conducted by the Surgical Sabermetrics Laboratory is funded by National Institutes for Health (NIH), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Melville Trust for Care and Cure of Cancer, United States Airforce, Johnson & Johnson Foundation, The Circulation Foundation, Vascular Society, and Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Before joining the Faculty at Univeristy of Edinburgh, Prof. Yule was Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School (2011-2022) and Director of Research, Education and Innovation at the STRATUS Center for Medical Simulation, Brigham & Women’s Hosptal in Boston, USA.
Lord Mackinlay of Richborough
Craig is a Chartered Accountant and was the Member of Parliament for South Thanet between May 2015 and May 2024. After standing down as an MP Craig was nominated for a life peerage in the 2024 Dissolution Honours. In September 2023, Craig developed a very rapidly progressing case of Sepsis and was placed in an induced coma for 16 days. He was not expected to survive. Craig underwent a quadruple amputation on 1st December 2023 at St Thomas' Hospital in London. Craig was appointed a Justice of the Peace on the North Kent bench in 2006. A freeman of the City of London, he served as a trustee of three Kent charities: Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, Foord Almshouses in Rochester, and Medway Sculpture Trust. Craig is married to Kati and they have a young daughter, Olivia.
Professor Alberto R Ferreres, MD, PhD, FACS (Hon.), FCCS (Hon.), ASGBI (Hon.), FRCSEd ( ad Hom.)
Professor of Surgery University of Buenos Aires | Associate Director Education & Research University of Buenos Aires | Professor of Surgery and Ethics & CoDirector Center for Surgical Ethics University of Washington.
