Surgepod

Liz O’Riordan is a consultant breast surgeon, whom herself was diagnosed with breast cancer. She opens up to me about her diagnosis, what it was like undergoing treatment, especially as a surgeon, and that bald photoshoot. We laugh, we cry, and we share our hopes for the future. This episode is not to be missed!

On this episode, I’m joined by Zahra Jaffry, the only female orthopaedic trainee on the Percival Pott rotation. We hear her life story of breaking outside the mould, looking for mentors, and sticking to her truth when the going got tough. Zahra is an inspiration to anyone who is thinking about medicine, but hasn’t seen someone like themselves do it before. She tells me about her family’s unwavering support, and we laugh over how our caring Asian mothers followed us on elective!

This week I am joined by Tom Parsons and Charlie Holden, Core Surgical Trainees and avid cyclists. Before beginning their surgical training, Tom and Charlie joined the ‘Dr Mike on a bike’ team, on an around the world cycling challenge. They also partnered with Mind UK and The Royal Medical Benevolent Fund, to raise money and awareness for mental health issues experienced by Juniors Doctors. Join us if you love to cycle, if you want to hear about surgical training, or if you just need to have a laugh!

Join me as I chat with Theodora Papavasiliou, a plastic surgery trainee in London, and co-founder of Stelth limited, a company using 3D printing technology to make personalised surgical equipment and models. Theodora tells us what goes on behind the doors of Stelth, from first realising the potential for using 3D printing in surgery, to manufacturing personalised equipment across Europe, and winning the Cutler’s Surgical Innovation prize 2020. We also hear about how she translates Da Vinci’s writings in her free time!

In this episode, I’m talking with Gurdas Singh, a medical student at King’s College London. Gurdas tells me about his experience on the NHS Assembly, and describes the panic reverberating across medical students when the COVID-19 pandemic set in. He also shares when he found out he was listed as one of the top 50 most influential BAME people in health. You’re in for laughter, shock and a whole lot of inspiration!

I’m joined by Rob Staruch, a plastic surgery trainee in Her Majesty’s Forces, and a current DPhil candidate at the University of Oxford. As COVID-19 vaccines are being rolled out globally, Rob has co-developed Vaximap, an online route mapping tool to most efficiently vaccinate in the community. And, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, whilst countries were panicking about the potential shortage of ventilators, Rob worked in a team to develop a novel ventilator, OxVent. Tune in to hear about merging medicine, engineering, and policy- and using the Queen’s personal helicopter!

In this episode, I am joined by members of CovidSurg, the team behind the world-renowned studies investigating surgery in COVID-19 patients. Data from CovidSurg comes from over 120 countries around the world. In patients infected with COVID-19, their results have shown that men, the elderly, those with comorbidities, and patients needing cancer or emergency surgery are at higher risk of dying. Don’t miss this episode as we go behind the scenes with the team.

Guests: Elizabeth Li & Harvinder Mann 

Host: Dr. Kari Shah

Producer: Myra Anubi

NB: We own no rights to the music, sound effects and clips used to produce this podcast. Clips: BBC, Sky News, CovidSurg, WHO

In our first episode, I’m joined by Simon Fleming, a senior orthopaedic registrar on the Percival Pott rotation. Simon talks with me about harassment and bullying in the NHS. We discover his story experiencing bullying himself, working to spot these behaviours, and tackling them head on. This episode will make you reflect on your interactions, and inspire you to stand up whenever you sense discomfort.

Surgepod shares stories of NHS surgeons, once they sit down and take off the surgical mask. Hosted by Dr Kari Shah, join us to hear about career challenges, fighting the pandemic outside hospital, and reflections on our personal journeys. For surgeons, medical students, and anyone who is just curious.

Instagram: @drkarishah @surgepodpodcast

Twitter: @DrKariShah @MyraAnubi @surgepodpodcast

Facebook: Surgepod Podcast

Email: Karishma.shah@doctors.org.uk, kadenyimyra@gmail.com