SASL Committee Members

Mr Asrar Ahmed (BDS, MFDS RCSEd., MFDS RCSEng., FCGDent (UK), MSc Dental Implantology (Bristol), ITI Fellow Advanced Certificate in Clinical Education (Glasgow)) is a Specialist grade surgeon working at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Eastbourne. He graduated from Nishtar Medical College, Multan in 1994 and worked at different hospitals is Pakistan before moving to the UK in 2002. He is an experienced clinician whose practice is limited to oral surgery and dental implantology, with over 25 years of professional experience working across South East England. He works part time in the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Department at Eastbourne District General Hospital, where he is highly regarded for his clinical expertise.

Mr Ahmed is a fellow, registered speaker and director of the International Team for Implantology (ITI) East Sussex Study Club and has presented his clinical work in implantology at numerous local and international meetings. He has a special interest in sinus lift techniques. He has served as a tutor for the Diploma in Primary Care Oral Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England and regularly teaches and mentors dentists in implant dentistry. He is an examiner for MFDS and Membership in Implant Dentistry at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He is a Fellow and Master of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and a Fellow of the College of General Dentistry (UK). He joined SASLED committee in 2025 and is keen to help in the professional development of colleagues particularly in the field of dentistry.

Ms Catherine Diver (MB BSc BaO, MRCSEd) graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 2000. She started working as a specialty doctor in ENT at the Royal Free Hospital in London, moving back to Northern Ireland in 2006 to take up her current post as a specialty doctor in ENT at the Belfast HSC Trust. Since 2022 she has been a Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh SAS and LED committee member and holds the role of an educational tutor for the college. In 2024 Catherine joined the Intercollegiate Surgical Education Committee For SAS (ISECSN). Catherine's leadership roles in her Trust include Patient Safety and Clinical Governance lead and Quality Improvement (QI) lead in ENT. In relation to education, she is a member of the Belfast Trust's QI faculty which helps deliver the Specialist Trainees Engaged in Leadership Programme (STEP). Catherine’s most recent appointment is the Deputy Associate Dean for Specialty, Associate Specialists and Specialist (SAS) doctors, at Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency, appointed in October 2024.

Peter Driscoll is Consultant General, Laparoscopic and Upper GI Surgeon in Fife, specialising in abdominal wall reconstruction and groin pain in elite athletes. Outside work, he runs a smallholding, coaches target shooting at national level, and enjoys renovating classic cars.

Mr Nishan Fernando (MBChB, MRCS, FHEA, FFSTEd) is a Specialty Surgeon at North of Scotland Cardiothoracic Unit. He sits on the Executive Committee of the Faculty of Perioperative Care, is a Member of the SASLED Committee, and is the SAS representative on the Cardiothoracic SSB. He is an Honorary Lecturer in the University of Aberdeen where he serves as the Deputy Lead, Year 3 and the Surgical Lead, Year 4, MBChB. He a Fellow of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers and of the Higher Education Academy. He is a Designated Medical Supervisor for the Non-Medical Prescribing Course, Practice Supervisor for trainee ANPs and Surgical Practitioners. He has a strong academic interest in Human Factors and is on the NOTSS Faculty. He is Scoring Panel Member at RCSEd. He is an MRCS Examiner for the Intercollegiate Committee for Basic Surgical Exams (ICBSE) and is on the Assessment Panel for the University of Aberdeen MBChB. 

I have been conferred the title of Honorary Professor at Apollo Hospitals Educational and Research Foundation (AHERF) for my contribution to international teaching, training, academic publishing and Research Scholarship. I have a Global Research Profile; being on the list that represents the top 2% of Scientists in Orthopaedic Surgery in the world released by Stanford University on 06.10.2023 and 10.10.2022. I have built a strong publication portfolio being an Author of 250+ Index, peer-reviewed articles, 190+ PubMed records with over 4000 citations to date and serve as a Deputy Editor at the Journal of Clinical Orthopaedics and Trauma (JCOT) (Elsevier).

I am a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCS Ed) since 2009, a member of the RCS Edinburgh Research, Grants & Fellowship Committee and the SAS and Locum Consultants Committee (SASLC) since 2022-2023.

The RCSEd offers a number of different fellowships, travelling fellowships, grants, awards, student bursaries and scholarships pertaining to different specialities of surgery and dentistry to benefit patients and improve care. I bring my expertise as an Author and Editor in assessing research proposals submitted to the College. I believe this role is crucial to support the RCSEd vision of delivering Research Scholarship, advance research and develop Evidence Based Medicine in enhancing quality patient care.

The RCSEd is my academic home with its strong interest in education, leadership, research, and career development of all surgeons aspiring to deliver high standard of surgical care.

I would encourage everyone to avail of the opportunities at the RCSEd Research, Grants & Fellowship Committee and support the College vision of improving patient outcomes and care. 

Dr Veera Reddy Karri is an Associate Specialist in General Surgery and Colorectal Surgery at United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, with extensive experience in endoscopy, surgical care, education, and clinical leadership. He serves as Director of the Lincolnshire Bowel Screening Programme, Deputy Caldicott Guardian, and SAS Tutor, and is also a JAG Accreditation Medical Assessor. Apart from his postgraduate surgical qualifications, his professional profile is strengthened by an MBA, a PG Diploma in Medical Education, and qualifications in coaching, mentoring, and workplace mediation. He has led service innovation in endoscopy and surgical pathways, while supporting trainees, medical students, and SAS doctors through teaching, supervision, and mentorship. Alongside his clinical responsibilities, he plays an active leadership role in the British Medical Association and contributes significantly to professional advocacy, governance, and educational development.

Mr S. S. Murali (MS (Gen. Surg.), FRCS(G), FRCSEd) was elected to the RCSEd SASLED Committee September 2024 and is Member of the RCSEd Urology Surgical Specialist Board. He is the first Chair of the Section of SAS & Trust Urologists (SSTU) in the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS), created by BAUS in 2023-24.

Mr Murali is committed to fostering career development of SAS & LE Doctors through the routes of Designated Autonomous Practitioner, the Specialist Grade in the 2021 SAS Contract and progression to the Specialist Register via the Portfolio Pathway. He is keen to contribute to the roll-out of Commissioning Data Set ver 6.3 (CDS v6.3), which was formally launched by NHSE in April 2023, with a view to integrating these provisions into a unified plan for the career progression of the SAS & LED workforce.

Mr Murali’s vision is for the SASLED Committee of RCSEd to spearhead, at a national level, the initiative to translate these objectives into a comprehensive workforce strategy, to facilitate the career progression of the SAS & LE Doctors who constitute the backbone of the NHS, so that delivery of clinical care across the NHS will be optimised by a supported, and responsive, SAS & LE Doctors workforce.

Ms Anna Paisley is a Consultant General and Upper GI Surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. She has a particular interest in surgical recruitment, training and assessment. She was Regional Surgical Adviser for South East Scotland for 4 years, is current Year One Director of the Edinburgh Surgical Sciences Qualification and was elected onto Council in 2015.

Mr Lasitha Bhagya Samarakoon (BS BM (Col) MRCS (Edin. & Eng.) Mmed (NUH) ChM(UoE) FEBS(EBSQ) FRCSGlasg(Gen) FRCSEd(Gen) FFSTEd) graduated from the University of Colombo in 2010 with First-class honours. Subsequently, he completed general surgical residency training and obtained fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh (RCSEd) in 2020. He has been actively engaged in clinical practice, academic research, and medical education for more than a decade. His involvement in both local and international research projects has resulted in numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and abstracts presented at national and international conferences. Additionally, he has authored and published several books. Mr Samarakoon serves as a clinical tutor for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and the Leicester Medical School. He participates as teaching faculty in numerous surgical courses conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), as well as the University of Edinburgh (UOE). Furthermore, he serves as an Examiner for the Intercollegiate Committee of Basic Surgical Examinations (ICBSE) and is a current member of the Specialty Board for General Surgery (SSB GS) at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd). In addition to his busy clinical practice, Mr Samarakoon is an avid chess player, reader, amateur pilot, and aviation enthusiast. He finds joy in teaching, training, and mentoring the next generation of surgeons. He is extremely passionate about helping SAS LED doctors overcome hurdles to navigate and achieve their full potential in their careers, across a variety of roles and aspects.

Pending bio

Ms Julie Craig (MB BCh BAO (Hons.) MRCS MSc (ortho. engin.) MSc (clin. educ.)) works as an orthopaedic specialty doctor in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, with a clinical interest in trauma.

Julie graduated from Queen’s University Belfast, and has since completed Masters’ degrees in Clinical Education at Queen’s University, and in Orthopaedic Engineering at Cardiff University.

She is now an undergraduate educational lead for fractures for Queen’s University Belfast and the Belfast Health & Social Care Trust. She also teaches quality improvement and leadership skills to doctors in the Belfast Trust.

Julie has a special interest in clinical data analysis and project design and is the Belfast Trust’s specialty improvement lead for their fracture inpatient database. She is also the Northern Ireland lead for the National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD), a member of the NHFD advisory group and a member of the Royal College of Physicians’ Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme committee.

She is also a member of the British Medical Association Northern Ireland SAS committee and the SAS representative on the British Orthopaedic Association’s education & careers committee.

Julie’s publications include peer-reviewed articles and textbook chapters, and her research presentations have received prizes from the Bone and Joint Journal, British Trauma Society and the Irish Hip Fracture Database.

Mr Vishal Parmar (FRCS, MRCS, MIDPEd, MS, FMAS, FIAGES, MBBS) is currently working as a Specialty Doctor in General and Colorectal Surgery in South Wales. He is a RCS Edinburgh certified Mentor for the surgical trainees and is part of the new Mentorship Program scheme.

He is an appraiser for the trust and departmental Rota manager. He is a clinical supervisor and is engaged in teaching undergraduate and post graduate students locally.

Mr Parmar completed his medical school and training in General Surgery from India. After this he completed his Fellowship in Minimal Access Surgery from the Prestigious King Edward Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. He then worked as an Assistant Professor in General Surgery in Tertiary Teaching University Hospitals back home.

He also has been awarded the Diploma of Membership of the International Postgraduate Deanery from Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (MIPDEd) after completing the Medical Training Initiative Fellowship.

Mr Parmar is a member of the RCS Edinburgh SASLED committee from 2024 and is highly keen and motivated to work towards SASLED empowerment and development.

Mrs Gillian Winter (MBChB, MRCSEd, DipMedEd) graduated from Aberdeen Medical School in 2004 and undertook her paediatric surgical training in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Birmingham. She was appointed as a Specialty Doctor in Paediatric Surgery at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital (RACH) in 2017. She was Clinical Lead for Paediatric Trauma for the North of Scotland from 2019-2023. She is currently lead for simulation within RACH as well as being chair of the patient safety group. She is heavily involved in medical education across both undergraduate and postgraduate training programs. She has recently been appointed as lead for Aberdeen University medical student placements within RACH. Gillian undertakes core surgical training interviews and in the future hopes to become an examiner for MRCS.