BOMSA Mentorship Scheme

BOMSA London and The Stanmore Rotation are excited to collaborate on a new mentorship program for London medical students interested in a career in Trauma and Orthopaedics (T&O) with Specialty Registrars from the Stanmore Rotation.

Nikki Shah

I am an ST5 Trauma and Orthopaedic Registrar on the Stanmore Rotation. I graduated from the University of Nottingham and tailored my foundation years to my interest in surgery. After completion of an F3 year and Core Surgical Training in the East of England, I successfully secured my registrar training post. Medical students often have limited exposure to orthopaedics and so it would be a pleasure to share my knowledge and experience in this specialty. My position as Stanmore BOTA representative, my involvement in medical student teaching and on various national interview courses has provided me with the leadership and management skills required to undertake the role as a successful mentor. As a mentor I would aim to increase clinical exposure for medical students with access to theatres and clinics. I hope to get mentees involved in research and guide them to build their surgical portfolio and also develop their CV. I would be grateful for the opportunity to support medical students with their potential career path in orthopaedics.

George Cross

As a teenager I had to undergo several shoulder operations and my Orthopaedic Surgeon inspired me to want to follow his same path. So, having pursued T&O from early on, I know the unique challenges a budding Orthopaedic trainee can face. As both a certified sports coach and a qualified clinical educator, I look forward to sharing my insights and guidance to help my mentee thrive as they pursue this very worthwhile pathway. Running a successful annual CST interview course, I have a detailed understanding of what is required of applicants to achieve their goals at a critical hurdle in training. Specifically; providing my mentee with key tips and tricks to optimise their CV and ensuring that their clinical exposure for the specialty is both appropriate and informative. Most importantly, I think being a mentor requires organisation, making myself available for support when the mentee most needs it and enthusiasm to help get them through the tougher moments in the process. I am so grateful to my own mentors and welcome the opportunity to partner with my own mentee to help them in the same way.

Firas Raheman

Firas is currently a Trauma and Orthopaedics Specialist Registrar on the North London Stanmore rotation. After completion of his undergraduate medical qualification, he undertook foundation training in South Thames, followed by academic training in East Midlands. He completed a postgraduate qualification in medical education in 2019 and holds membership with the Royal College of Surgeons of England and Academy of Medical Educators. During his basic surgical training, Firas was awarded a MSc in Surgery. Having published in several impactful journals he has developed in strong interest in meta-analytic research, mentoring undergraduate and foundation trainees through the process. He is also a keen educator and is currently involved in medical student teaching for UCL and Cambridge during their placements in Hertfordshire. As a mentor Firas is motivated to engage in innovative research and teaching opportunities involving Trauma and Orthopaedic surgery.

Tala Jabri

I am a senior registrar on the Stanmore rotation in London who enjoys supporting the next generation of surgeons. I have experience mentoring juniors having previously mentored on the Royal National Orthopaedic Mentorship Programme. I have also been involved in delivering teaching to Medical students at a number of London Medical schools as well as acting as an examiner for end of year exams at Imperial. I take great pride in supporting those junior to me and find it extremely rewarding when they succeed in achieving our goals. I am unique in that I am currently conducting research looking into the use of novel implants to promote cartilage regeneration between Imperial and the Royal Vet College and would love to support those aiming to develop their academic experience as well as those looking to tailor their CV to help secure training posts. 

Karen Chui

My interests in Trauma & Orthopaedics started early in medical school when I started to tailor my portfolio and CV aimed for surgical training posts. I completed Foundation training in Birmingham and Core Surgical Training in North East London, before successfully securing a Specialty Registrar post on the Stanmore Rotation. As a Stanmore Mentor, I aim to empower medical students to pursue orthopaedics and succeed in their career. My experiences in leadership and teamwork include University sports team captain, BOTA committee, RCS LGBTQ+ forum committee and current Stanmore Mentorship Programme Lead.  As current Culture & Diversity Representative of the British Orthopaedic Trainee Association, I had many opportunities to interact with medical students in conferences. I always look forward to these interactions and meeting the bright medical students of today, as I feel I also learn much from them. I am passionate about improving culture and DEI in orthopaedics, showing aspiring surgeons that no matter your background, orthopaedics has a place for you. I look forward to guiding my mentee to help them develop their CV, clinical experience, leadership skills and interview technique. 

 

Tom Stringfellow

Following my undergraduate training at The University of Nottingham, I completed my foundation years on the South Coast (Wessex F1/2 programme) I was fortunate to have early positive exposure to trauma and orthopaedics which led me to this career. Several outstanding mentors have helped me along my way via Core Surgical Training in South London to secure my registrar training post on the RNOH (Stanmore) Rotation. I have been lead author on several multicentre orthopaedic trauma studies (Posterior Malleolus Study Group and HARNT) and research is a big part of my portfolio. I enjoy working with students and trainees of all levels to help them complete research, audit and quality improvement projects. My interests are in upper limb (shoulder/elbow/hand and wrist), augmented reality training and orthopaedic trauma. I hope to help potential mentees realise what an amazing specialty T&O is, plan their career path and help them develop competitive surgical portfolios. 

 

Prash Thayaparan

I am currently an ST4 Registrar on the Stanmore Rotation. Originally from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia I studied medicine at the University of Southampton and intercalated in Genetics at King’s College London. I enjoy teaching and was previously awarded the Merit in Teaching Excellence as a foundation doctor. As a mentor I hope to foster an interest in orthopaedic surgery, provide clinical exposure, help build a CV and coach an aspiring orthopaedic surgeon through their early years.

 

Ankur Gupta

I’m currently a ST4 registrar on the Stanmore Rotation. I qualified from Imperial College in 2016, completing my foundation training in London and East of England. I decided to pursue a career in Orthopaedics during my F2 year having had little exposure to the speciality during medical school.

I have a particular interest in mentoring having been a PBL tutor, ASIT mentor and involvement in national core training interview courses. I believe in a high yield approach to career progression and hope to dispel myths, helping mentees navigate their portfolios and time effectively. A diploma in clinical education and personal interests in the field of expedition medicine have helped me develop leadership skills both within and outside of the clinical setting.

Hadi Hosain

I am currently an orthopaedic ST3 trainee on the Stanmore rotation. A St George’s University graduate, I followed on FY1&2 in Lister Hospital with many different specialty rotations. With a year out to secure my CST position, I worked in Orthopaedics at GSTT and then in a private healthcare company as a e-hospital manager before doing an excellent 2 CST years in EKHUFT. It would be a pleasure to share the experiences and insights I have gained with someone considering a career in Orthopaedics.

Medical students have limited exposure to T&O in the undergraduate curriculum, and often have difficulty finding a dedicated T&O surgeon for additional clinical experience and career support. This mentorship program aims to connect medical students with a Stanmore Rotation orthopaedic registrar, from whom they can gain an improved understanding of what a career in orthopaedics entails; increase their clinical exposure to the specialty; and receive support and guidance on their pursuit of surgical and orthopaedic training.

Are you a medical student interested in our Mentorship scheme? Click the button below!