Welcome to the 9th annual Scalpel Undergraduate Surgical Conference!

The Scalpel Undergraduate Surgical Conference (SUSC) for 2017 builds on the success of our previous conferences and promises to be a fantastic event for all medical students to enjoy.  Back in 2009, Scalpel delivered its first ever national conference with a goal to provide a platform for medical students across the United Kingdom to present their work – whether research, audit, or case study – to a student audience composed of like-minded individuals with an interest in surgery.  Close to 60 students were given the chance to build their confidence and hone their presentation skills presenting their work in 2009; since then, the SUSC has gone from strength to strength and continued to provide this opportunity for students.  For those that were not quite ready to present yet, the conference provided – and still very much provides to this day – a great arena to meet fellow delegates with an interest in surgery, listen to an array of fascinating lectures delivered by respected speakers, and learn or improve upon essential and enjoyable surgical skills and procedures.  In recent years we’ve had delegates attend from Edinburgh to Peninsula, all of whom provided feedback that they would recommend the SUSC to friends.

Feedback from the 2016 conference:

”The conference was brilliantly organised and the conference team were very helpful on the day. Both the keynote speeches were the best I have ever listened to in a student medical conference. The quality of the practical and academic workshops was outstanding – all the workshop supervisors were very helpful and great at adapting their teaching to each student’s level. Overall, great job by Scalpel’s committee in pulling off such a high quality conference.”

-Rohma Abrar, intercalating year 3 student

“The conference was really well organised. A wide variety of activities and workshops. The content of the workshops were really relevant and well delivered with experts in that field present for the workshop. CV clinic which was highly useful and I hope to use some tips I have gained from that clinic for my future CV! Overall the day was brilliant, the experience I had at the conference was really great, and it would be useful for other students to experience it too. “

– Year 3 student

“I had the opportunity to present my poster for which I am thankful. However my favourite were the brilliant talks – both the talks we received from the surgeons were outstanding, covering very different aspects of surgery outside the UK. They were humbling and inspiring so thank you to Scalpel for having had such great speakers.”

– Gayathri Suresh, year 4 student

“Best Student Surgical Conference I have attended”

– Year 5 student

“Great range of very inspiring speakers. Workshops of a high standard – ratio of students to tutors was brilliant”

– Year 2 student

Some of the feedback from previous speakers at our conferences:

“It was a great privilege to speak at the Scalpel conference. I am proud to have had the opportunity to address so many intelligent, motivated and challenging medical students. The patients of Britain will be in safe hands if they are able to sustrain that enthusiasm and drive.”

- Prof Martin Elliott

“I was hugely impressed by the organisation and smooth running of the conference. I was honoured to be able to talk to a group of such keen and interested students and junior doctors.”

– Mr Peter Clarke

“I attended and spoke at the 2010 Scalpel Conference and had a wonderful day. The place was buzzing with enthusiastic students and I found it quite inspiring. The organisation was superb and impressive. A great day for the surgeons of tomorrow to begin their surgical journey. I would strongly recommend it.”

– Prof Averil Mansfield

“As an invited speaker to this event in 2010, I was overwhelmed by the level of commitment shown by the students and the professionalism in the organisation of the conference. It was certainly a model that other medical schools can learn from. And I learnt a lot from the challenging questions from all the students! A great credit to the Medical School in Manchester. “

– Dr David Pencheon

We are incredibly excited about what has become Scalpel’s main event of the year and indeed one of the major events in the calendar of any undergraduate medical student society.  The SUSC is an event not to be missed.  We hope you read our website to find out more information and, of course, subsequently register to join us for what is guaranteed to be an amazing event.  We look forward to meeting all of the delegates in November later this year.

Scalpel Committee