Future Surgery is proud to be supported by an expert advisory board built by our lead partner for the event, the Royal College of Surgeons of England, who support the development of the programme and speaker faculty. We have invited some of the most senior and innovative leaders transforming the surgical landscape to join this committee, ensuring we can deliver true value to all our attendees and partners.

Our advisory board has helped us to refine the direction of the event and agenda, as well as sharing insights into how we can build out our community. We hope our advisory board will be the cornerstone of our surgical community, and that we can work with our members to make sure that we are delivering true value to all our attendees and partners.

Nuha Yassin, Council Lead for the Future of Surgery and Robotics, RCS England

Nuha Yassin is a consultant colorectal surgeon at University Hospitals Birmingham, with clinical and research interests in colorectal cancer and IBD with a focus on technology, minimally invasive and robotic surgical techniques. She is the lead for robotic colorectal surgery at her trust and the first female national proctor for robotic colorectal surgery in the UK.

She has been awarded including the prestigious Royal College of Surgeons of England Research Fellowship, the inaugural Professor John Nicholls award for best research project, the ACPGBI travelling fellowship, the Richard Cobb fellowship, and the ESCP short fellowship.

Miss Yassin is a Council member at RCS England since her election in 2021. She was the first early years consultant to be appointed to council. She is the chair of Future of Surgery (FoS) as well as Robotics and Digital surgery (RADAR) groups. She is passionate about all aspects of her work and personal life and truly believes that everyone has something amazing to contribute if given the chance.

Ginny Bowbrick, Council Member, RCS England

Ginny Bowbrick is a consultant vascular surgeon at the East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust. Since the start of her consultant career she has been involved in countless medical education and leadership roles, beginning when she joined the SE Thames General Surgery Specialty Training Committee of which she later became the Training Programme Director.

A key highlight of her experience is her work as a Liaison Member of the Vascular Surgery Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC). She was the ST3 National Selection Lead in 2021 and was instrumental in separating the vascular from General Surgery ST3 recruitment processes before becoming Chair of the Vascular Surgery SAC for three years up until to July 2024. Other notable highlights include her appointment as the Head of School of Surgery for Kent, Surrey and Sussex in 2021, a Specialist Education Advisor to the NHSE WTE Flexibility Education Reform in 2024, and a Clinical Advisor to the Medical Workforce Alignment Programme, NHSE WTE from 2022 to 2024. She was elected to the Royal College of Surgeons of England Council in 2023.

Diversity and inclusivity are extremely important to Ginny, evident in her role as the Chair of the RCS England Pride in Surgery Forum (PRiSM) for LGBTQ+ surgeons and allies (of which she was a founding member). Moreover, she has been involved in numerous regional and national projects promoting recognition and help for neurodiverse trainees and better understanding of autism and learning disabilities in patients.

Dorothy Kufeji, Council Member, RCS England

Dorothy Kufeji is a consultant Neonatal & Paediatric Surgeon at Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Guys & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust. She is passionate about surgical safety and ensuring equity in healthcare delivery. She is a strong advocate for trainees, ensuring that they work in a safe and supportive environment. She has a strong background in medical leadership as well as undergraduate and postgraduate surgical education.

She has been Training and Education lead for paediatric surgery, Royal College surgical tutor, chair of the STC in Paediatric Surgery, Training programme director and served on the board of the London postgraduate school of surgery. She was also a member of the specialty advisory committee (SAC) in paediatric surgery serving as Liaison Member for Yorkshire and Humber as well as National Lead for less than full time training. She currently sits on the Intercollegiate Board of paediatric surgery as member of JCIE, on the Board of KHP Academic Surgery and is the Trust Guardian of Safe Working for GSTT. She is EMCC accredited Coach and Mentor where she works with the GSTT network of Coaching and Mentoring, NHS Leadership Academy and RCSEng Emerging Leaders Programme.

She served two terms as Regional Director of the Royal College of Surgeons providing practical support to members and fellows during a particularly challenging period. She was particularly effective in working to widen access to surgical careers and working collaboratively to deliver the College response to the Kennedy report.

Ian Sugarman, President, Federation of Surgical Specialty Association

Since graduating from Medical School in 1985, Ian worked across several fields, including Orthopaedics and Urology, before finding his true passion in Neonatal and Paediatric Surgery in Southampton. Over the ensuing years Ian trained in Paediatric Surgery, but also in Neonatal and Paediatric Medicine, before finishing his training at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.

Ian became a Consultant Neonatal and Paediatric Surgeon in Leeds in 1999 and has remained there to 2024. In the department Ian subspecialised in Paediatric Colorectal Surgery. He has been part of the Yorkshire and Humber Operational Directive Network since October 2020 and is presently Lead Clinician for the ODN. During his time as Lead Clinician, he became Lead Clinician for the Paediatric Gastroenterology Department and led its the development.

He has been heavily involved with British Association of Paediatric Surgeons since 2008, initially as webmaster, but then as Honorary Secretary and then Honorary Treasurer, before being elected as President, which he has held since July 2022. Over the years, Ian has helped develop the first BAPS Specialist Interest Group (of which there are now four) in Paediatric Colorectal Surgery. He is also the first Paediatric Surgeon to be elected President of FSSA.

Ryan Kerstein, Lead, RCS England Innovation Hub

Ryan Kerstein is a Plastic Surgery Consultant at Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust, an NHS Clinician Entrepreneur Fellow and the Technology Editor and Writer for the Royal College of Surgeon (Eng) Bulletin journal. Throughout his career and in his personal life, he is dedicated to improving healthcare through innovation, collaboration, and medical technology.

Before entering healthcare, Ryan worked as a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), focusing on projects in healthcare and technology. His work spanned multiple sectors, where he developed expertise in strategy, big data analysis, and change management.

Ryan later co-founded ASep Healthcare Ltd, a medical technology company, to commercialize Tournistrip, a product he developed with a colleague while in medical school. Tournistrip has become one of the most widely used tourniquets in the NHS and is sold globally, with over 50 million units sold worldwide. He also serves as the Health Technology Editor and Writer for the Royal College of Surgeons (Eng) Bulletin Journal.

All this expertise in innovation and transformation has culminated in Ryan now serving as the Lead for the Royal College of Surgeons Future of Surgery Innovation Hub (I-Hub) alongside being his Trust’s Associate Medical Director for Research and Innovation.

Josh Burke, Director of Education, RCS England Innovation Hub

Josh is a General Surgery Registrar in Manchester, UK. He is also a Bowel Cancer UK PhD Clinical Research PhD Fellow at The University of Leeds and has higher degrees in Health Research and Medical Education. With a passion for technological innovation and medtech, Josh is also a Lecturer in Innovation on The Surgical Education MSc at the University College London.

Josh has championed innovation within the Royal College of Surgeons of England – serving as the Director of Education for The Royal College of Surgeons of England Innovation Hub, previously chairing the commission on ‘The Future of Surgery: Technology Enhanced Surgical Training Report’, and sitting on the Robotics and Digital Surgery Committee for RCS England.

He also sits on the CORESS UK Patient Safety Committee and is CMO of Flux HealthTech.

Louise Goldring, Director of Learning, RCS England

As Director of Learning at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Louise is responsible for the development and implementation of high-quality education opportunities for surgeons and healthcare professionals across the UK and globally. She extensive experience leading teams that develop and deliver complex portfolios of educational activities in high-stakes environments, she is a firm believer in strengths-based approaches.

Louise has a strong interest in culture change and organisational development, leveraging leadership vision to focus and motivate teams. Louise is dedicated to supporting individuals in their growth and development, fostering new ideas, and welcoming external influences to create space for innovation. Leading a diverse and multiprofessional team, Louise ensures that the College is at the forefront of innovative and creative approaches to surgical learning, building on the best practice principles of surgical education for which the College is renowned.

Outside of her work with the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Louise is also a Leadership Coach, Trainer and Development Consultant. Specialising in leadership coaching, training and development, career stage transitions and unlocking potential.