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Hi everyone! For those who don’t know me, I am Alex and next year I will be going into my 4th Year in Medicine. I have been a part of Cutting Edge Society for 3 years and on committee for 1! This year I am running for Skills and Education Coordinator.

My last year on committee was spent acting as Shadow Scheme Coordinator, where I was able to connect 12 surgeons with over 30 students, many of which are still in regular contact now. This role taught me how to network with surgeons across all different specialties, how to organise large scale events and has logistically allowed me to form many connections with consultant surgeons, all of which will help me in organising any future events in the society.

One event I was able to organise through these connections was the Journey Through Liver Transplant specialty event, which was a great success. After meeting and keeping in regular contact with a consultant liver transplant surgeon we were able to come together and create a great and educational event that showcased all areas of transplant from the patient experience to the logistics of organ retrieval and the transplant itself. While this event was good fun to put together, it also taught me how to run in person events and the practicalities involved, which will be key to running the Cutting Edge educational events.

From being on committee for a year and part of the society for two more, I now feel I am familiar with the workings of the society especially after helping in the annual Cutting Edge conference last year. I would love to continue to contribute to the society especially towards the practical events and the educational side! After attending ASiT conference and networking with members other surgical societies I believe there are many opportunities to build upon what we already do in terms of the skills sessions we put on.
Some ideas I have already had would be to build upon the suturing series we already host to include a secondary suturing series later in the year but for more advanced skills, such as anastomosis, incision and drainage, flaps etc. I would also love to introduce an anatomy refresher series aimed at later years, where we recap anatomy that may have been forgotten since first year, but from a surgical perspective.

I am also excited to work collaboratively with all members of the society as skills and education is what underpins Cutting Edge! For example I would be very excited to work with the new Research Director to coordinate an educational research series, after presenting my first poster presentation at ASiT this year and winning the AOT prize, I understand how daunting getting into research can be and would love to make this more accessible for all. Another exciting collaborative event I would be excited to help coordinate would be with the Specialty Representative to make this years specialty series have a practical element to it for example, an orthopaedics event and talk with a workshop on plastering or fixation at the end.

I have lots of other ideas and would be very grateful and motivated to work on committee next year as Skill and Education Coordinator! :)

I have had the pleasure of holding a role within this committee for the past two year in a row.
Year 1 Rep - 2024
Year 2 Rep - 2025
This has allowed me not only to attend a wide range of events but also to help in their planning and preparation thus allowing me to develop the contacts and skills necessary for this role

As demonstrated by my commitment to this society I am deeply passionate about surgery. Being able to scrub into theatres in my free time has only reinforced this. Having seen the real world uses of the different skills I have learnt from Cutting Edge has allowed me to see just how important this role can be. With your vote I hope to fulfil this role to the best of my abilities and provide events that all will be able to benefit from as I have in the past

I’m excited to be running for Skills & Education Coordinator. Over the past two years as a member of Cutting Edge, I’ve seen firsthand the impact that high-quality teaching and well-run skills sessions can have on students’ confidence and enthusiasm for surgery.

I’ve fully engaged with what Cutting Edge offers—from attending the suturing series (where I was proud to win a suturing kit) to attending the annual surgical conference. I’m also lucky to be part of the shadowing scheme, where I’ve been mentored by a colorectal surgeon. This experience has been incredibly motivating and has strengthened my interest in surgery, particularly general surgery.

Through these experiences, I understand what makes a session truly valuable: hands-on practice, clear guidance, and an environment where students feel supported to improve. I feel confident in my own suturing ability and would be keen to help lead sessions that are both practical and engaging.

Alongside this, I bring strong organisational and teamwork skills. I know how to plan effectively, collaborate with others, and ensure sessions run smoothly.

If elected, I’ll be committed to maintaining the high standards of Cutting Edge’s teaching while continuing to build on its already excellent skills programme.