FDNF Conference 2023 brings future war doctors together
We brought 54 medical students from Universities across the UK together for our first in-person Friends of David Nott Foundation (FDNF) Society Conference in Manchester. The group of future war doctors took part in practical workshops and heard from our CEO, Surgical Lead, and one of our on-the-ground partners, Action for Humanity.
Photo credit: Elgan Manton-Roseblade, FDNF Edinburgh
We are proud to have 21 FDNF societies across the UK, with new societies beginning to form around the world. The societies, made up of University medical students keen to embark on humanitarian careers, are ambassadors and fundraisers for our missions while share our work with their student communities.
Attendees joined condensed orthopaedic, cardiac and abdominal surgery workshops with two of our trainers, Dr Moez Zeiton and Dr Ammar Darwish. The students placed fixations on model tibia bones and repaired silicone hearts using sutures. They also sutured uteri, learned how to stop severe bleeding with a catheter and condom, and practiced C-section deliveries during an obstetric and gynaecology workshop.
Students also heard from our Surgical Lead Dr Ammar Darwish who shared his frontline experience and what it takes to be a war doctor, and Action for Humanity’s Nihad Sarmini who shed light on the important requirements of an on-the-ground partner and how our joint mission in northwest Syria helped local doctors and earthquake survivors.
Marcus Renshaw, a medical student and FDNF Manchester Society Member, shared:
“Everyone had an amazing time and really enjoyed each part of the day! It was really nice to connect with some of the other students around the country involved with the charity. Thank you so much for everything you do at the Foundation - I've been here for less than 2 years but I already feel right at home.”
Ellen Young, our National Society Lead and former FDNF Manchester Society President, said:
“It was amazing to welcome so many attendees from FDNFs across the UK to Manchester for our conference. From what started as an idea three years ago, we now have groups from Bristol to Aberdeen, Belfast to Cardiff and are hoping to expand beyond the UK soon. Attendees ranged from those starting their medical degrees, to students who have just passed finals and are about to start work as doctors in August.
What was most apparent was the enthusiasm for humanitarian medicine and surgery, and how many students commented that FDNF felt like 'what they had been looking for' at university and hoping to find - a community of likeminded, passionate and welcoming individuals working together for a cause that they believe in. I feel like the conference really brought this together.”
The conference also launched our new Trainees of David Nott Foundation (TDNF) initiative. We are passionate about fostering tomorrow’s humanitarian leaders and to do that, we believe in staying in contact with medics as they grow.
TDNF allows surgical trainees to continue a relationship and receive guidance from us as their careers continue to progress beyond University. By the time they are qualified and ready for overseas surgery, we will be there to support them.
Our CEO and Co-Founder, Elly Nott, said:
“What a joy it was to hold our first in-person FDNF Conference in Manchester! Meeting over 50 engaged, enthusiastic and vibrant students from Universities across the UK was very special.
Today’s medical students are tomorrow’s humanitarian doctors and we remain deeply passionate about continuing to build community, share knowledge, and one day work with them to train more doctors in need.
The energy in the room was palpable and we look forward to expanding our FDNF network internationally.”
“The need in Syria is astonishing”
We’ve just returned from northwest Syria after training 23 local doctors to surgically treat complex wounds caused by the earthquake that shattered parts of Syria and Türkiye in February. Our CEO, Elly Nott, shares her reflections of our latest mission and how we will continue to stand with Syria.
As soon as we crossed the border into Syria, fields of olive trees stretched as far my eyes could see. Row after row, the trees continued until we reached Atmeh.
Our destination was Aqrabat Hospital, where I was leading a surgical mission to train local doctors to provide specialist orthopaedic and plastic surgical care to the survivors of February’s devastating earthquake.
The need for our training is astonishing.
After hearing that ours and Action for Humanity’s specialist doctors were visiting, a staggering 2,000 people sought care at the Hospital.
Action for Humanity’s team, who led the operating arm of our mission, saw 300 in clinic and were able to surgically treat over 60 patients over a week period. At the same time, in rooms above the operating theatres, we taught 23 Syrian doctors with the skills needed to treat complex trauma injuries inflicted by earthquakes or the ongoing conflict. Our team also taught nine Syrian surgeons to become David Nott Foundation trainers themselves, leaving a lasting legacy of shared knowledge and confident doctors in Syria.
Aqrabat sits in northwest Syria and is supported by a remarkable network of civil society organisations and NGOs. Despite this, the region is vulnerable. The hospital serves a population of around four million, the majority of whom are dependent on humanitarian aid. Some 2.6 million of residents have already been forcibly and repeatedly displaced from their homes by the conflict from places including Ghouta, Dara’a, Homs, Aleppo. Families faced food and fuel shortages and health challenges including a cholera outbreak. The recent earthquakes have added further pressure to weakened economies and healthcare systems across the country.
As conflict and the effects of the earthquake continue to fuel instability, we must not abandon Syria.
Speaking to doctors we’ve trained, it’s clear our mission has had a lasting impact. Many have commented on their restored confidence and others that they now feel better equipped to treat those most in need.
A personal highlight for me was meeting Syrian doctors who had learned from, met or heard about my husband and Co-Founder, David Nott. Many had operated alongside David in underground hospitals in Aleppo while the Assad Regime and its Russian allies bombed the east of the city relentlessly in 2013 and 2014. Their connection with David, despite the passing of years, reinforces just how powerful shared knowledge is.
Our Faculty Director for this mission, Dr Ammar Darwish (pictured below), who is originally from Syria, shared:
‘Going back to Syria was one of the happiest days of my life. Crossing the border and seeing Syria again, with all the sadness and monstrosities that have happened, there’s still a sense of happiness, a sense of pride. It was a very special feeling. Training the doctors there and seeing those we’ve worked with and taught before was something else. It put tears into our eyes.’
Northwest Syria faces vast challenges. We cannot remedy a decade of pain, but we can continue to arm surgeons with life-saving skills and show them that we stand beside them.
We’ll be back to train more doctors soon.
Elly Nott, Co-Founder and CEO at the David Nott Foundation
Leaving a lasting legacy with 14 Yemeni surgeons
Dr Shabnam Parkar is a Consultant Paediatric Surgeon at St George’s Hospital in Tooting. After many years treating children in the UK and providing medical care in Nepal, Dr Parkar has joined our team as a surgical trainer. Last month, she led paediatrics and co-led abdominal surgery on our Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) course in Djibouti, empowering 14 Yemeni surgeons with the skills needed to treat children’s trauma injuries.
Faculty Lead: Dr Ammar Darwish. Faculty Trainers: Dr Pete Mathew, Dr Shabnam Parkar, Dr Timo Bullmann, Dr Mohammed Ayman Alshiekh, Dr Jen Oliveira-Davies. Programmes Lead: Chevon Cumberbatch.
Yemen is a territory scarred by conflict. The state’s historic unrest is complex, with civil war, tribal tensions and extremist groups operating across the country. On-the-ground partners share that Yemeni surgeons commonly face injuries inflicted by war, such as gunshot wounds or landmine injuries requiring amputations. Car accidents are also common on uneven roads, leading to severe crush wounds or internal bleeding that demand urgent damage control.
Our teaching faculty, including the latest addition to our training team, Dr Shabnam Parkar, recently upskilled 15 Yemeni doctors in Djibouti, giving them the skills needed to better treat the injuries they see on a daily basis.
Dr Parkar led the paediatric module of our course, helping doctors understand how to use their surgical skills to give children with devastating injuries the very best chance of survival.
The power of education
Speaking with Dr Parkar about her humanitarian history, she shared: “For the past 10 years, I’ve worked with a charity called Health Partnership Nepal providing medical relief. We run health camps, offering medical care to 500 children and adults a day and performing minor surgeries in rural areas.
Every year, we knew we were doing good work, but it felt like applying a temporary plaster to a wound. We weren’t getting to the source or really identifying what the country’s core needs were. The charity’s direction fell into place when I was invited to operate on left-over cases from a previous mission.
I thought, why don’t I teach the local doctors how to perform safe inguinal hernia surgery, rather than patients waiting for my annual visit? A sustainable model of teaching. Today, Health Partnership Nepal provides medical care to local communities and teaches doctors vital clinical skills such as resuscitation.
It was that same ethos of education and training at the David Nott Foundation that I was drawn to.
I worked with David as his Senior House Officer and always knew I wanted to get involved in humanitarian work. After meeting Elly Nott at an event, we stayed in touch and I was later invited to their Train The Trainers course in London. I was honoured to join the Foundation as an official trainer in Djibouti, teaching 15 Yemeni surgeons.
Training in Djibouti
The doctors were highly experienced and mainly consisted of general, trauma, orthopaedic and vascular surgeons from all over Yemen. They received 5 days of intensive surgical training, empowering them with skills, tools and tips for better treating the complex wounds they see daily. From obstetrics to neurosurgery to mass casualty triage, the course is designed to create multi-skilled trauma surgeons that are ready to respond to a wide spectrum of injuries.
Many were familiar with how to handle damage control surgery and use skin flaps to treat large open wounds, however we got great feedback on orthopaedics and paediatrics, and the group discussions were fantastic.
It was lovely to see them presenting cases on their phones and sharing ideas of how they approach surgery with each other. The course created a platform for Yemeni doctors to connect and support each other, no matter the region they worked in.
The team really felt like a family – and everyone helped ensure the course was delivered to the highest standard for the doctors we met.”
A strengthened healthcare system
One participant shared, “Working in any war zone, I know I can use my new skills,” while another said they were more confident and that they could “face any emergency case” as a result of their training.
Our CEO and Co-Founder, Elly Nott, said: “This was our fifth mission with doctors from Yemen and we were honoured to have the opportunity to further expand the state’s network of skilled surgeons and strengthen their healthcare system.
No matter the conflict or disaster, we are passionate about empowering surgeons with skills we know can make the difference between a patient’s life or death.
Education is incredibly powerful – it forms the backbone of our Foundation. We look forward to future courses, led by our talented trainers, that will continue to benefit communities in Yemen.”
To see our training in action, watch our Palestine story