The Royal College of Surgeons of England announced Felicity Meyer as the new Women in Surgery (WinS) Chair in July. Meyer, a Consultant Vascular Surgeon based in Norfolk, will take office in September 2024, with Future Surgery (October 1-2) being one of her first official speaking engagements in the role.

Women in Surgery (WinS) has been a national initiative of RCS England since 1991, dedicated to encouraging, enabling and inspiring women to fulfil their surgical career ambitions. The program is dedicated to promoting women in the surgical field by raising awareness, providing guidance, and creating networks to support female surgeons throughout their career. The group dedicates themselves to the belief that surgery should attract the candidates with the highest aptitude for surgery, regardless of gender.

The network, which includes over 6,000 members across the UK, spans all career stages and specialties, offering a wealth of experience and support. WINS focuses on elevating the profile of female surgeons, addressing key issues, and highlighting the benefits of flexible training and working options. Membership is free and provides access to valuable resources and benefits aimed at fostering career development and engagement within the surgical community.

Felicity’s election to the role is the result of the first-ever vote for the WinS Chair held by RCS England. The election allowed eligible Women in Surgery members to choose who will represent them on Council as an invited member. The College release a statement thanking all of the other candidates who put themselves forward for the role, and praise Meyer in her election.

Alongside her role as Consultant Vascular Surgeon, Felicity is Deputy Medical Director at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn. She has been a member of WinS since its inception and, more recently, has been the RCS England Flexible Working Advisor and joint Deputy Chair of the WinS Forum. She is passionate about teaching and training and is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of East Anglia.

The current WinS Chair, Tamzin Cuming, will be stepping down following her successful three-year term. In their statement announcing Felicity’s appointment, RCS England praised Tamzin for her dedication raising the profile of women in surgery during her tenure.

“Tamzin’s work representing WinS and speaking on sexual misconduct in surgery to government, in the media and across College platforms, has raised the profile of the scale of the issue in the NHS and highlighted how the College and WPSMS are working to eradicate it. Her tenure also included a vibrant WinS Conference and International Women’s Day events hosted at the College, a packed WinS theatre at the Future Surgery Show, and progress on our work to increase mentorship opportunities for underrepresented groups in surgery and widening access to surgical careers through outreach to schools.”

Commenting on her appointment to the role, Felicity has likewise praised Tamzin while also sharing excitement about her new role, “I am absolutely thrilled and humbled to be the first elected chair of Women in Surgery. I am looking forward to the challenges ahead but Tamzin Cuming leaves very big shoes to fill! I would like to thank her for all her hard work and support, especially around sexual safety, which has brought about wholesale change throughout the NHS.”

Future Surgery is excited to host Felicity as a speaker at our upcoming show in October, where she will be discussing supporting diversity in the workplace, the role of mentoring to support surgeons, and women in surgery and medicine.

Don’t miss out on the chance to hear from Felicity in one of her first official speaking engagements as Chair:

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