FST Executive Committee

Mr Pragnesh Bhatt qualified as a neurosurgeon in 1987 after training in India and the UK. Currently a consultant neurosurgeon at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, he has a particular interest in complex spinal surgery in both adults and children leading the multidisciplinary team for degenerative spinal conditions. An Honorary Senior Lecturer at NHS Grampian, Pragnesh also sits on the College’s Surgical Specialty Board in Neurosurgery and is a RCSEd Regional Surgical Advisor for the North of Scotland.

Simon Fleming is a Consultant Orthopaedic Hand and Wrist surgeon, and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland. He holds Fellowships of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) and the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FRCS Tr&Orth), and a PhD in Medical Education, with academic focuses on operative competency, assessment, and burnout/wellbeing.

A founding member of the International Orthopaedic Diversity Alliance (IODA), he currently serves on the Editorial Board of the British Journal of Surgery. He has previously served as Vice Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Trainee Doctors' Group, President of the British Orthopaedic Trainees' Association, the British Orthopaedic Association and Royal College of Surgeons (Eng) Councils and has delivered over 250 invited lectures internationally on surgical training, diversity and inclusion, and workforce culture.

Manoj is a Consultant Upper Gastrointestinal and General Surgeon at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Associate Director of Medical Education (Surgery). He is Education Lead for the Patient Safety Committee, a member of the General Surgery Surgical Specialty Board, Convenor and Faculty for the Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) course, and an Intercollegiate MRCS and FRCS Examiner. He is also Course Lead for the MSc in Patient Safety and Clinical Human Factors at the University of Edinburgh and holds honorary academic appointments with the Universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Formerly National Clinical Lead for the Scottish Mortality and Morbidity Programme and Team-Based Quality Review (TBQR) Programme, and now Course Director for the RCSEd TBQR programme, Manoj led the development of the TBQR methodology and multidisciplinary education programme, supporting surgeons and organisations across the UK and internationally to strengthen organisational learning, design safer systems, and improve care through Human Factors, systems thinking and psychological safety. His academic training includes a Master's degree in Patient Safety: A Human Factors Approach from the University of Aberdeen, the Scottish Quality and Safety Fellowship, and executive education in Artificial Intelligence in Health Care from Harvard Medical School. These experiences continue to inform his work in surgical education, leadership and the delivery of safer patient care.

A/Prof. Rhea Liang is a general and breast surgeon on the Gold Coast of Australia, medical educator, and MD Curriculum Lead at Bond University. She researches and advocates in breast cancer, medical education, diversity, and workplace culture. Rhea is a surgical trainer and CCRISP course director.

She serves on the British Journal of Surgery editorial board and the American College of Surgeons International Relations Committee, and has led the Operate With Respect project of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the development of the Australian federal A Better Culture curriculum. 

In 2023, she became the first Australian woman awarded FRCSEng(Hon) to recognise two decades of contribution to surgical education and workforce diversity.

Miss McKenzie is a Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, appointed in 2011, with a longstanding commitment to surgical education and training the next generation of surgeons.

She serves on the Executive Committee of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers (FST), having initially joined as an Advisory Board member, and is an RCSEd Regional Ambassador for Yorkshire.

Her previous educational leadership roles include Head of Year 3 MBChB and Director of Undergraduate Medical Education at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. She continues to contribute as an Honorary Clinical Lecturer and Year 5 Placement Lead. She holds a Masters in Education by thesis on surgical training under pressure, and has remained an Academic Educational and Clinical Supervisor throughout her consultant career.

She is also an Executive Committee member for Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NoTSS) at RCSEd, and mentors undergraduate surgical societies across the UK, with particular focus on students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.

Professor Saweeres is the Chairman of the Orthopaedic Advisory Committee at the General Organisation for Teaching Hospitals and Institutes, in Egypt. He qualified, trained and practiced in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UK (Oswestry/Stoke Rotation). Besides being the Scientific Council Secretary for the Egyptian and Arab Board in Orthopaedics, Emad is the specialty representative at the Higher Committee for National Clinical Guidelines of the Egyptian Health Council. He is the International Surgical Ambassador for the College in Egypt and an Examiner for various bodies.

Professor Saweeres holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education form Harvard Medical School, and his “Learner Story” is featured on their website, as one of the top achievers. In 2019 he received the prestigious “Innovation in Education Award” by the AOTrauma, Switzerland for his educational project on reduction techniques of fractures.

Emad strongly believes in leveraging all the benefits of the modern technology in interactive teaching, using electronic platforms, which allow for OnDemand interactive remote synchronous and asynchronous teaching.

Professor Jon Lund is RCSEd Dean of Education, Head of the Academic Department of Surgery at the University of Nottingham, and Honorary Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Royal Derby Hospital. He previously served as Chair of the Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST).

In this voluntary role, Jon oversees all of the College's educational offerings, ensuring the highest standards and access for all students across the more than 500 courses RCSEd delivers in support of surgeons, dentists and the wider healthcare community.

Professor Robin Paton is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon (with a special interest in Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery) and was first elected to the council in 2016. He holds an Honorary Chair at the Medical School at UCLAN and was awarded the King James IV Professorship from the college in 2016. A keen interest in surgical training has resulted in him being voted the 'North West Orthopaedic Trainer of the Year' on two occasions. A Fellow of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers, he has a continuing interest in undergraduate/postgraduate education and surgical research. In addition to being an examiner, he has helped to develop the Intercollegiate and International FRCS (T & O) examinations over the past 20 years.