Bringing future humanitarian surgeons together for the first time
This month, we hosted our first annual Trainees of the David Nott Foundation (TDNF) conference. The conference aimed to bring surgical trainees interested in global humanitarian careers together, to learn from our war doctors and take part in bespoke workshops.
Held as a hybrid event at the University of Salford in Manchester, the conference attracted 200 medical professionals from various specialties and international locations, including Yemen, Pakistan, Albania, Nigeria, Poland, UAE, Singapore, Ethiopia, Thailand, Malawi, Libya, and many more.
Dan Lazenby, the president of the TDNF committee and a plastic and burns training registrar, founded our TDNF network in 2023.
“There was a gap in the market for trainees interested in humanitarian work and global surgery education. I wanted to emulate that for trainees. I believe there is a real lack of platforms and communities for junior members to get involved. The more we involve them early, the better they can contribute.” – Dan Lazenby, TDNF President
TDNF has made significant strides since its birth. The committee has 13 members from various specialties across the UK and plans to expand the community. They have hosted two webinars with participation from 50-100 doctors worldwide, providing information to global trainees on how to get involved in humanitarian efforts. Future initiatives include developing a mentorship program, focusing on basic global surgical skills for trainees through online platforms.
“Our dream is to follow in the footsteps of David Nott and other humanitarian surgeons.”
Workshops focus on essential trauma skills
The conference, held on the 13th July, was a full day of comprehensive lectures and workshops. Our faculty trainers provided trainees with insights into working in war zones, sharing experiences from Syria, Afghanistan, and Gaza. The event featured workshops on orthopaedics, vascular surgery and general trauma, where trainees spent hours practicing casting, suturing, and managing major trauma injuries. Networking between trainees and faculty members was also a highlight, fostering vital relationships between peers and building a strong community.
“The hybrid international platform was invaluable, allowing people to join virtually and in person, inspiring the humanitarian surgeons of tomorrow all around the world."
A vision for the future
Looking to the future, Dan shared: “We aim to host annual conferences, develop mentorship programs, and reach people from more diverse backgrounds. We all have the same goal, to treat patients safely and effectively. One of our ideas is to accompany the David Nott Foundation to teach junior members basic skills, which will make a significant difference.”
We will continue to prepare the humanitarians of tomorrow, ensuring safe, skilled surgical care reaches everyone.
Welcoming our new CEO
Having founded the charity in 2015 and led it as CEO for nine years, Elly Nott has stepped down as Chief Executive to take up an alternative role in the leadership of the organisation.
As Elly embarks on her new role, the charity warmly welcomes Dr James Gough as its leader. James is a former military and aid doctor, having served with the British Army and international aid groups in Afghanistan, Egypt, Indonesia and Bangladesh.
Beyond the field of medicine, James has served with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and founded both the virtual reality enterprise One Shot Immersive and a UK charity promoting and protecting the wellness of those who serve the Crown.
Dr James Gough MBBCh, newly appointed CEO of the David Nott Foundation, said:
“It is the privilege of my professional life to have the opportunity to serve the beneficiaries of the David Nott Foundation as Chief Executive. At a time of immense human suffering around the world, the dedication of our donors, our volunteers and our people is both humbling and critically important.”
Graham Hodgkin, Chair of Trustees of the David Nott Foundation, said:
“The David Nott Foundation continues to develop its position as providing the gold standard of conflict surgical training. The Foundation is known and respected among humanitarian organisations, government ministries and policymakers and trusted by healthcare workers. Crucially, our training saves lives and makes access to safe, skilled surgical care a reality for more people in conflict and catastrophe-affected regions.
Alongside Co-Founders David and Elly Nott, and my fellow Trustees, we are delighted to welcome James as our new CEO and have every faith in his ability to deliver our vision and mission to our stakeholders. He will have our unwavering support as he takes on his new role as CEO of this remarkable and special organisation.”
Since our birth in 2015, our global faculty of trainers have upskilled over 2000 doctors in countries tarred by war and disaster, such as Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Ukraine and Palestine. Under James's leadership, we look forward to further deepening our impact across the globe.
SUPPORT OUR MISSIONS
Our localisation and training in Ukraine
This June, we partnered with the World Health Organisation (WHO) Ukraine to deliver our training in Ukraine. We trained 69 medical professionals, including those from the frontlines and other regions, who travelled to Poltava to acquire vital trauma skills to take back to their hospitals. This course brought our global figure of doctors trained to over 2000.
No end in sight
After two years of war, Ukraine is dropping from the headlines, yet the conflict continues and conditions remain dreadful. Kateryna Barabash, Emergency Medical Services Officer at WHO said: "From a humanitarian perspective, the casualty rates are not decreasing. The need for care near the frontline remains high."
"Media attention is decreasing, affecting financial support, reducing project budgets, and diminishing humanitarian services."
Despite the lack of spotlight as other disasters intensify across the globe, we remain committed to our work in Ukraine and have now trained over 700 doctors from territories right across the country. On our latest Poltava mission, we ran two Hostile Environment Surgical Training-Anaesthesia (HEST-A) course twice and a Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) course for surgeons and anaesthetists.
Localisation and sustainability
In early June, we also funded Ukrainian surgeons to come to our latest UK course to learn directly from our Co-Founder Professor Nott, and also how to take the reins and join our team as official Ukrainian trainers.
Five of these professionals trained on our course in Ukraine as members of our faculty, enhancing our sustainability and localisation efforts. They now apply their teaching skills in their work settings, training others as they operate on injured people, building capacity in Ukraine and on the frontlines.
"Our greatest achievement from this course is that localisation has actually happened. This is our first cohort of Ukrainians delivering our course near the frontline." - Nick Cartwright, Programmes Manager at the David Nott Foundation.
Missile attacks continue to devastate
Russian drone and missile attacks continue. Most recently, attacks inflicted devastation at Okhmatdyt Сhildren's Hospital in Kyiv, throwing the nation into outrage. Clearly, there remains an urgent need for surgical and anaesthetic teams that are equipped to save lives and limbs – that’s why the skills and techniques taught on our courses are essential.
Kateryna shared: "The foundation has a solid technical background in trauma surgery, offering valuable tips and tricks that match the situations they may face. Simple techniques, like tying a knot effectively, can be more impactful than revolutionary methods. Sharing practical experiences and real-life stories also make this training invaluable."
"When you have many trauma patients, it's hard to share experiences with peers. In this environment, you can do that and set up valuable learning opportunities.”
We strive to provide a safe environment for doctors to discuss patience cases and learn from real-life experiences from each other and our faculty. Creating space for this forum fosters powerful knowledge sharing of new skills and techniques.
Support our missions in Ukraine