Stars align at Almeida Theatre to support our mission
On Sunday 13th October, the Almeida Theatre welcomed an audience to a special event, ‘Doctor Theatre’. The evening featured a line-up of some of the world’s greatest actors, Peter Capaldi, Judi Dench, Lindsay Duncan, Stephen Fry, Ian McKellen, Simon Russell Beale and Imelda Staunton. During the course of the evening each actor took to the stage to interview or to be interviewed by one another. They discussed life on stage, on screen and in the real world. It was at times hilariously funny and, in other moments, deeply moving. In a special moment, Judi Dench and Ian McKellen spoke to each other as old friends, almost as if the audience were not there. The final conversation was with Judi Dench and David Nott. For the audience, simply to witness their connection and mutual admiration was wonderful.
The evening was filled with ‘peek behind the curtain’ moments; anecdotes of life on stage, the secrets of making blockbuster hits, and of course some personal revelations. The actors also brought some prized mementos to auction at the end of the evening, including a prop from the “Harry Potter” films (from Imelda Staunton), a personally illustrated “Doctor Who” script (from Peter Capaldi), a prosthetic heart the Foundation uses to teach surgeons lifesaving skills, and a painting by done by Judi Dench herself. The auction was conducted brilliantly by the evening’s emcee, Stephen Fry, who played a major role in making the sum raised on the auction alone £19,500.
In addition to this once in a lifetime line-up of actors providing the audience with a thoroughly entertaining and moving evening, the event generated an incredible £61,000 for our work. We are indebted to the Almeida Theatre, the supporters who attended and to the Theatre Friends of the David Nott Foundation who organised the event. We would like to say a special thanks to Joyce Nettles, without whom the evening would not have been possible. Her tireless dedication to the Foundation, not just this year but in years gone by, is truly remarkable. On behalf of the 2077 doctors we’ve trained worldwide since 2015, thank you.
Should you wish to watch the event, we will soon have a recording available to view for a small donation. Please watch this space or contact [email protected] for more information.
If you’d like to contribute to the total, donate by Dec 31
October 7th: A catalyst for unrelenting crisis and the fight to save lives
October 7th is a day that remains seared into our collective memory—a day marked by unimaginable loss, fear, and suffering. The death toll continues to rise, and for every life lost, there are countless more left injured and grieving. The ripple effects of this violence are spreading far beyond that single day, reaching into every corner of the region. As the violence escalates across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Yemen, and Israel, the humanitarian needs grow more urgent with each passing hour.
We have not forgotten the victims—the hostages, the dead, the wounded, and the families in mourning. Like many in the humanitarian and development community, we’ve been overwhelmed by the surge in requests for assistance. Over the past year, we have adapted to meet this growing need. We know the skills, knowledge, and expertise we provide will save lives. This year alone, we’ve trained 55 surgeons and 18 anaesthetists in the UK and Kuwait to prepare them for operating in Gaza. Our founder, David Nott, and Head Surgeon, Ammar Darwish, have both traveled to Gaza on missions with MAP and MSF, bearing witness to the daily horrors Palestinians face. In addition to direct medical support, we’ve created teaching videos in English and Arabic to assist doctors in real-time on the ground.
“Seeing Gaza reminds me of the vital importance of our foundation’s work. Training doctors, operating on patients in war zones, bearing witness to doctors’ needs on the ground, I’m more driven than ever to help the charity grow so we can reach even more people in need.”
We hear a lot about the death tolls of Oct 7th and the violence since. But for every death there are countless injuries. Many of these will be life-changing and require highly specialist input that is simply not available. This is the case across the region, as the violence begins to spread beyond Gaza and Israel, into the West Bank, Lebanon and Yemen.
"The number of injured in Gaza has now surpassed 70,000. The complexity of these injuries means that these patients will require extensive medical care—surgeries, physiotherapy, and immense resources to reconstruct their lives. This is a humanitarian crisis of unimaginable proportions."
As the violence spreads like a global contagion, the need for medical aid is growing by the day, and we remain committed to doing everything we can to provide support.
James Gough,
CEO
Our most recent work for Palestine
Addressing the crisis in healthcare
As conflicts continue to devastate civilian lives across the globe, healthcare systems in war zones face unprecedented challenges. In the past decade alone, over 180,000 civilians have been killed in armed conflicts worldwide, with regions like Syria experiencing a mass exodus of healthcare workers—over 70% have fled due to violence. In Ukraine, recent reports indicate that over 17 million people require humanitarian assistance, with healthcare facilities frequently targeted and damaged, leading to significant shortages of medical supplies and personnel. In Palestine, the situation is even more dire, with access to healthcare severely restricted due to ongoing violence. Reports show that over 50% of medical facilities in Gaza are non-functional or operating at reduced capacity due to conflict, significantly affecting patient care.
In response we are equipping healthcare workers with the skills they need to save lives in these volatile environments. Our flagship Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) program provides essential training to doctors, preparing them to handle trauma injuries common in conflict zones, including gunshot wounds and blast injuries. Given that the majority of injuries in modern warfare are caused by explosive devices, this specialised training has never been more critical.
Bridging the skills gap in conflict medicine
Conflict medicine involves the diagnosis, treatment, and management of injuries resulting from armed conflict, encompassing a range of trauma-related conditions. It requires a unique set of skills that go beyond conventional medical practices. In areas like Sudan, and Somaliland where many doctors lack the necessary training to manage complex war injuries, our work is vital.
The Foundation has trained over 2,000 doctors in 17 countries, offering practical skills in triage, emergency procedures, and trauma care. However, the scarcity of surgeons with specialised knowledge in conflict-related trauma exacerbates the situation, as studies indicate that 90% of healthcare workers in these zones feel inadequately prepared to handle such injuries.
Impacting lives in conflict zones
Our trained doctors are now saving lives in some of the most dangerous regions, including Yemen, where half of the healthcare facilities are non-functional. They are not only addressing immediate trauma but also providing long-term care, helping communities recover from the devastating impacts of war.
Through ongoing training programmes, we continue to build a global network of conflict medicine experts who are making a significant difference in conflict zones.
World Humanitarian Day
On World Humanitarian Day, we perhaps allow ourselves a few more minutes to think about others. Perhaps those we often find it hard to think about or to imagine. To remind ourselves that humans, wherever they are, deserve the basic access to freedom, to peace, to equity and to love that many of us enjoy. To have to make a special day each year is both a tribute, and a damning indictment of humankind. On most measures, it has been a relentless and notably horrific few years for humanity.
Moving from the private sector as I have and beginning my first few weeks as CEO of the David Nott Foundation, I have been struck by the unfortunate parallels in the language used. I did not expect to be talking about a “growth market”, but that is indeed what humanitarianism is experiencing.
For the past 12 years, the number of displaced people has increased every year. The number of refugees has tripled in a decade. In 2023, 1 in 69 of us on the planet were forced to leave our homes – 117.3 million people. More specifically to our line of work, conflict related fatalities are also on the rise. The annual number of deaths in conflict since we began our work almost a decade ago has risen by 92% to almost 250,000 this year.
Many of those deaths will be what we call ‘Survivable Deaths’. It is these deaths our teams work tirelessly to prevent by training doctors with the skills they need in conflict and catastrophe.
You can imagine that if we saw these kinds of numbers on a business forecast in a different context, it would be a reason to celebrate. But we are in the business of alleviating suffering. The more suffering there is, the more of a strain and demand it puts on the sector as a whole to meet the vital needs of those we must continuously work to serve.
In a conversation with a Ukrainian diplomat some months ago, I heard her talk of war as “a branding exercise”. She explained to me that Ukraine was not just competing with other wars for international attention and resources, but also with Donald Trump, Taylor Swift and the Climate Crisis. Her point was clear. To win the war, you need to win the media and the requisite public support. It is for this reason that today I believe we should think deeply, not just about the horrors we are seeing on our newsfeed, but to the horrors we are not. With conflicts and catastrophe raging all over the world in Haiti, DRC, the West African Sahel, Afghanistan and Myanmar, to name just a few, we can perhaps be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed and somewhat fatigued. One of our explicit responsibilities at the David Nott Foundation is to think every day about these ‘forgotten conflicts’ and lesser-known catastrophes. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our donors, we are able to consider them in our planning and delivery of vital surgical and medical training. However, the increasing need is so vast, that we and other non-profit organisations worldwide need to think very seriously about how we scale – another regrettable business term that is a sign of our times. Scaling requires funding, partners, innovation, knowledge and an appetite for risk. Many of us do not consider ourselves as direct contributors to humanitarian work, but with the skills and requirements I describe, perhaps today is the day to re-consider. To be more explicit, we certainly wish to hear from you at the David Nott Foundation.
With gratitude, James Gough
CEO
Doctors’ needs in the West Bank
Over 300 days have passed since Hamas’s invasion of Israel and Israel’s retaliatory attacks on Gaza. Gaza is home to many forcibly displaced Palestinian refugees. The 41 kilometers-long Strip has been under siege since 2006, enduring five major wars, with the retaliation of the October 7th conflict being one of the deadliest in recent history.
In the West Bank, Palestinians live under Israeli military occupation, with Israel controlling essential resources like water and electricity. The intensifying Gaza-Israel war has exacerbated these difficulties. On-the-ground reports reveal that those who live in the West Bank face increasing attacks from Israeli settlers, checkpoints, military raids, increase in settlements, and the detention of Palestinian men, women, and children.
We reached out to Dr Mariam Aweidah, a general surgeon and our Faculty Lead for Palestine, to shed light on doctors’ needs in the West Bank. Mariam lives in Ramallah and travels to Jericho to work, a journey that should take an hour but often stretches to several due to road conditions and checkpoints.
"Every day is different. We always check the news before leaving to see if there are settlers or checkpoints on the roads. As Palestinians, this is part of our daily routine to ensure the roads are somewhat safe for travel." – Mariam Aweidah, Faculty Lead for Palestine.
Mariam works at a peripheral hospital in Jericho, where resources, infrastructure, and specialisations are limited. They frequently need to refer patients to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah to seek the care they need but face significant checkpoint challenges which can prevent patients from passing through, even in ambulances.
Despite being a general surgeon, Mariam sometimes operates on paediatric cases due to the limited capacity at the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah. Patients come from across the West Bank, but intensified travel challenges between cities and villages have increased the difficulties for both patients and doctors.
"We don't have intensive trauma training. With more trauma cases and cities isolated from each other, this causes a heavy burden because we aren't all trained for this. We often have numerous gunshot cases, and hospitals can't handle them due to a lack of resources and trained personnel."
Now more than ever, we are committed to training medical professionals in territories that require urgent support such as Palestine. As soon as it is safe to do so, we aim to raise doctors' skills through our training.
"I received training with the David Nott Foundation, which has greatly influenced my ability to manage, stabilise, and save lives quickly”, shared Mariam. “However, not all doctors in Palestine have had this opportunity. I hope to organise another training course to enhance the skills of more medical professionals in the West Bank and in Gaza."
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.
"There's no bias towards class, gender, or religion."
Dominic's sister, Lucy Cahillane, passed away on March 12, 2022. After reading ‘War Doctor’ by David Nott, Lucy became a huge supporter of our mission. She was always sharing with Dominic everything she took from the book and all the passion she had for our work.
Dominic shared that Lucy wasn't just a bookworm—she loved helping people, an attitude she would actively look to instil in her daughter on a daily basis. She was especially drawn to the foundation because she believed it was a genuinely inclusive humanitarian organisation that didn't discriminate based on gender, colour, age, or money. Instead, it focused on helping those most in need, like in Syria.
Based in Sussex, Dominic has been working as a musician since the mid-1990s and has a passion for travel. Together with his partner, they decided to honour Lucy's legacy by hiking and raising funds for us.
“The news can be so negative and manipulative; it makes you forget the good in this world and that there are people that just want to help others without seeking reward or notoriety.”
The fundraising challenge
“In 2022 I set up a fundraising page, as my partner Radka Nemcova went on a hike along with her friend Katerina Tumova, through the Himalayas to the Everest viewpoint. Their efforts raised around £2500, which wasn't expected! We were so proud of all we raised for the foundation so this year we wanted to push our limits. Me and my partner travelled this time to South America, we went on a 4-day ascending hike to over 15,000 feet up in the Peruvian Andes to raise money and awareness for the Foundation. To keep our friends, family and other supporters engaged we constantly updated them on where we are and basically how difficult the 4-day hike was going!”
Reaching the top
“Both times when we hit the base financial target and when we reached the top of our hike, we felt a full on emotional outburst, you can imagine what it’s like after hiking for 4 days! There’s an overall feeling of accomplishment but also a feeling of it could have been more, I’m happy with the results but keep thinking let's make the next one bigger and keep pushing. I mean it’s a funny one with the journey being both challenging yet soulfully rewarding”
What's next?
The foundation deserves much more recognition. It sheds a different light on what's happening in places like Ukraine and Gaza compared to what people see in newspapers. It’s a reminder that people do need to help.”
"The foundation's focus is purely on humanitarian conditions, without any bias towards class, gender, or religion."
Dominic is deeply inspired by his sister’s legacy, which really fuels his dedication to the foundation. Her belief in helping anyone in need matches what the foundation stands for.
"I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, but it always feels like there's more to do. I'm happy with the results but want to make the next one even bigger and keep pushing forward. I never feel like it's finished; there's always something more that can be added."
Dominic Cahillane's fundraising journey shows how personal connections and community support can really make a difference. His story highlights the importance of humanitarian work and how much of an impact individuals can have with dedication and perseverance.
We’d like to thank Dominic for sharing his experience. To find out more about fundraising events or how to support us in an event you have coming up, get in touch.
Get involved
Friends of David Nott Foundation Conference - leaders of tomorrow
This month, we held our third Friends of David Nott Foundation (FDNF) conference, hosted this year by our FDNF at the University of Cambridge in the Clinical School of Medicine. This event brought together 45 dedicated FDNF members from universities across the UK, including Dundee, Leicester, Nottingham, Manchester, Glasgow,Cork, Bristol, and Cardiff, alongside international attendees from the Czech Republic.
Our Friends of David Nott Foundation societies are made up of medical students who wish to embark on a humanitarian career. By bringing them together for teaching and connection with our trainers, our goal is to nourish the next generation of humanitarian surgeons.
The conference featured four specialised workshops led by our faculty members, focusing on vascular surgery, orthopaedics, paediatrics, and general trauma. These sessions provided students with hands-on surgical experience and insights into the challenging yet rewarding field of humanitarian medicine.
Faculty trainer Dr Mahmoud Hariri, a surgeon who met our Co-Founder David Nott in underground hospitals in Syria, led our final lecture. He shared his experiences from Syria and the difficulties of being a surgeon under unimaginable pressure.
“One of the hospitals I worked in was in a cave in a mountain. There are many hospitals like this in Syria. Some are underground or in a gym. Most of our lives at that time (during the siege), were underground."
"Being a war surgeon is not a funny thing, it is difficult. I have experienced soldiers placing bets on what they could hit each day.” - Dr Mahmoud Hariri, faculty trainer
Our Co-Founder Elly Nott opened the event with an inspiring address, expressing her excitement for this annual gathering and highlighting the critical role it plays in fostering the next generation of humanitarian healthcare professionals.
"Our FDNF conference is a highlight of my year. It’s a joy to meet the next generation of humanitarians and see how enthusiastic they are to use their skills to make the world a better place.” Elly Nott, Co-Founder
Through our FDNFs, students contribute significantly to our work by raising awareness, fundraising for missions, and volunteering on our Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) courses offered in the UK.
They are the future of this world, and now more than ever, we need people who want to help and make a difference.
This conference not only reinforced the commitment of current FDNFs but also inspired new additions to engage deeply our mission in helping to ensure safe surgical skills are available to all.
More on FDNF's
MedGlobal Conference 2023: Building resilience amidst disaster
We’re back from Chicago, after two days at MedGlobal’s Annual Conference 2023. The conference brought together medical professionals, humanitarian aid coordinators, volunteers and students to discuss how we build resilience, protect mental health and utilise the power of artificial intelligence in conflict and disaster.
“We are not immune from conflict and disaster anywhere in the world. Ecuador, Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, Sudan. Our mission is to ensure the lives of those going through challenge are better.” - Dr Zaher Sahloul, Co-Founder and President of MedGlobal
As conflict and disaster continues to stain our world, humanitarian organisations play a key role in helping communities survive and rebuild, whether by supplying basic resources such as shelter, food, water or clothing, or in the case of our Foundation, empowering doctors with life-saving surgical knowledge.
Despite the importance of humanitarian support, it is critical that communities are empowered to restore and rebuild their own lives - and have the tools to do so.
Local empowerment
Our Co-Founder and CEO Elly Nott spoke on the conference’s opening panel, alongside panellists Dr Omar Lateef, Chief Executive of RUSH University Medical Centre in Chicago, Sarah Eyring, Direction of Operations at the Stirling Foundation, and Sharon Eubank, Director of Humanitarian Services at Latter-Day Saint Charities. The group discussed how we can help communities become more resilient.
Elly shared: “What’s needed is a unified effort and giving locally-led organisations the space to flourish. They are closest to the need and what their communities require.”
For communities to rebuild, four things are vital:
- Humanitarian funding needs to be long-term, not just one to two-year funding cycles
- More funding must reach locally-led organisations, not as sub-contractors, but leaders of their own restoration
- Governance must be front and centre of all efforts
- Our healthcare workers must be better protected
Healthcare is a human right
Speaking about protection, Elly shared: “Healthcare is under attack wherever we look. We’ve seen it in over 900 verified attacks in Syria. The mental health effects on our healthcare workers are immense.”
In addition to advocating for the protection of our doctors, programmes like our Train the Trainers course hand the power to surgeons and anaesthetists in conflict and catastrophe, giving them knowledge and skills they can share with their colleagues. Sharing forms bonds and will help clinical teams make quick, effective decisions together, despite surrounding in chaos.
“Mental health gets better when you believe in what you’re doing. Local empowerment will build improved mental health. If you feel valued, invested in, connected as a team and part of change – mental health will get better.” – Dr Omar Lateef
Lifetime Achievement Award
Outside of relationship building and discussion during panels, our Co-Founder Professor David Nott was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to humanitarian surgery on the frontline. He received a standing ovation from approximately 400 gala attendees, after sharing stories from his time in Aleppo.
"I was operating on a little girl. All of a sudden, we were told to evacuate as the hospital was about to be bombed. I looked at the anaesthetist, and said I wasn't leaving. They didn't leave either. Together, we operated on the little girl - and no bomb came. She survived."
We thank MedGlobal for their generosity and invitation. Together, we will continue to serve, support and empower communities in need.