The Keele Surgical Society proudly hosted its first KSS National Surgical Conference 2025, a landmark event aimed at inspiring medical students considering a career in surgery. Supported by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Medical Defence Union, the conference brought together 47 delegates and 13 faculty members from a wide range of surgical specialities. In this blog, Ms Avani Desha Bhalla tells us more about the day.
Ms Avani Desha Bhalla
Event President and KSS Women in Surgery Lead 2024-2025
Ms Avani Desha Bhalla is a Third Year Medical Student at the University of Keele, about to embark on her Fourth Year of her Medical Degree. She was the Event President for the Keele Surgical Society (KSS) National Surgical Conference 2025 and is the Women In Surgery Lead for KSS 2024-2025.
Please provide with some background into National KSS Conference?
Founded in 2007, the Keele Surgical Society is one of the largest and most active medical societies at Keele University. Its mission is to support and inspire students interested in pursuing a career in surgery by organising a diverse range of local and national events. The society offers practical workshops, case presentation evenings, and national competitions designed to help members develop their surgical skills and deepen their clinical knowledge.
This year, in addition to our annual OrthoPlastics Conference, the Keele Surgical Society launched a new KSS National Surgical Conference aimed at pre-clinical and clinical medical students considering surgery as a future career. Unlike more specialised events, this conference was designed to provide broad exposure across multiple surgical specialities.
To achieve this, we sought extensive input from a wide variety of surgical disciplines. Faculty members representing specialities such as Upper GI, Bariatrics, Vascular, Cardiothoracic, Urology, Neurosurgery, Colorectal, Trauma and Orthopaedics, and Plastics contributed through keynote speeches, a surgical panel Q&A, and hands-on workshop sessions. We were thrilled to secure such diverse representation, providing attendees with a comprehensive overview of the surgical field and valuable opportunities to engage directly with experts.
We were very grateful to be sponsored by both the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Medical Defence Union. And a massive thank you to the incredible KSS committee that helped bring this conference to life!
How did the day run e.g. how many delegates and faculty attended/ what topics are covered etc?
The KSS National Surgical Conference 2025 was attended by a total of 47 delegates and thirteen faculty members, representing a variety of surgical expertise and specialities.
The conference commenced with an opening address by Mr. Vittal Rao, Consultant Upper GI and Bariatric Surgeon and KSS Clinical Lead, who served as the Honorary Consultant Conference President. Mr. Rao delivered an engaging presentation, sharing his professional journey, the motivations behind his decision to choose surgery, and insights on what distinguishes medical students destined for surgical careers. His talk also provided guidance on navigating the pathway from student to surgeon and maximizing the educational value of surgical placements.
Following this, Professor Arun Pherwani, Consultant Vascular Surgeon and Keynote Speaker, presented a detailed lecture entitled “Aortic Dissection – Challenges, Triumphs and the Future.” This session covered the classification and pathophysiology of aortic dissection, epidemiological data and national trends, current management strategies and outcomes, the importance of registry data, and prospects for future research in the field.
The morning keynote concluded with a presentation by Mr. Pankaj Mishra, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon. His talk, “A Day in the Life of a Cardiothoracic Surgeon,” highlighted the rewarding aspects of his surgical practice, academic pursuits, research activities, and mentorship roles, as well as reflections on maintaining work-life balance. Additionally, Mr. Mishra provided an overview of valvular heart disease and related pathologies.
A panel Q&A session followed, featuring Mr. Rao, Professor Pherwani, Mr. Mishra, and additional faculty including Ms. Sadaf JafferBhoy (Consultant Breast Surgeon), Mr. Anurag Golash (Consultant Urological Surgeon), Ms. Lakshmi Srinivasan (Consultant Thoracic Surgeon), Mr. Spyridon Roditis (Senior Training Fellow in General Surgery), and Mr.Nader Ghalessemi (Training Fellow in General Surgery). Questions were submitted by delegates in advance and explored themes such as: their inspirations behind their specialty choice and passion for surgery, strategies for navigating the competitive surgical training application process, typical daily responsibilities and career progression within various surgical fields, challenges encountered professionally and personally, and coping mechanisms, maintaining work-life balance amidst demanding surgical roles, adaptation to evolving surgical technologies including robotics, AI, and minimally invasive techniques, experiences with ethical dilemmas and lessons for future surgeons, the impact of teamwork and interprofessional communication on surgical outcomes, qualities sought in junior trainees and students during surgical placements and finally but most valuably to our delegates - advice to one’s younger self before embarking on a surgical career!
Following a lunch break, the afternoon sessions consisted of interactive workshops designed to develop practical skills. These included Basic Suturing, Bowel Anastomosis, Surgical Portfolio Mentoring, and VRiMS (Virtual Reality in Medical Surgery). The workshops were expertly facilitated by Mr. Roditis, Mr. Ghalessemi, Dr. Samantha Magaway, Ms. Wan Teng Lee, Ms. Alaa Elseed, Mr. Mohammed Walid Mohammed Mousa, and Ms. Ye Theng Yap.
What do you feel attendees took away from attending this conference?
I believe the attendees gained significant value from participating in the Keele Surgical Society National Surgical Conference 2025. They were able to gain a clear and realistic understanding of a surgical career by hearing directly from experienced surgeons representing a wide range of specialties. The morning presentations effectively highlighted both the expectations, challenges and rewarding aspects of surgical practice.
The panel Q&A session provided an excellent opportunity for delegates to ask questions about training pathways, day-to-day responsibilities, and how to prepare for a surgical career early on. This interaction helped clarify many aspects of the profession and offered practical advice that students can apply moving forward.
Furthermore, the hands-on workshops provided attendees with the opportunity to develop essential surgical skills within a highly supportive and interactive environment. The portfolio mentoring sessions offered invaluable guidance on career planning and professional development. A notable feature of the conference was the inclusion of VRiMS (Virtual Reality in Medicine and Surgery), which delivered a cutting-edge, immersive experience. Both delegates and faculty actively engaged with this advanced technology, exploring sophisticated surgical techniques in a realistic virtual setting. Alongside this, participants first learnt fundamental skills in basic suturing before applying these techniques practically in simulation exercises for bowel anastomosis, using medical-grade animal bowel.
Overall, I am confident that the conference equipped students with inspiration, knowledge, and practical skills, enabling them to approach their surgical careers with greater confidence and a well-informed perspective.