The International Surgical Ambassador (ISAs) are based in regions and countries worldwide. Their role is to act as the representative of the College in their country or region. They can provide advice and guidance on:
- Career development
- Applying for and participating in RCSEd examinations and courses
- Local contacts in the surgical profession
- Access to RCSEd resources such as webinars or eLogbook
- Professional updates and skills development
- Local networking and events
Click on the regions below to find your nearest ISA representative.
Contact Us
For more information on the network or to connect with a local ambassador please email: Caroline Berry, International Partnerships Manager.
Contact hereAmericas
To find your nearest International Surgical Ambassador located in Americas, please find your country in the list below.
T. Forcht-Dagi is a neurosurgeon working with Queen’s University Belfast and the Mayo Clinic Medical School, where he teaches residents and undergraduate medical students. In addition, he has deep interests in translational research, surgical innovation, online medical training and the history of surgery. He serves as a Director of the American Association of Neurological Surgery, and as an editor of Neurosurgery. He has been active in the patient safety movement and chaired the Committee on Perioperative Care for the American College of Surgeons and the U.S. Council for Surgical and Perioperative Safety. He served as a military surgeon, was elected to Fellowship in the College of Critical Care Medicine and is a member of the American Association for Automotive Medicine.
Australasia
To find your nearest International Surgical Ambassador located in Australasia, please find your country in the list below.
Chris graduated from Manchester University Medical School in 1997. He continued his training in the UK with rotations including New Zealand and Sydney. After obtaining a doctorate in Postgraduate Medicine in 2006 on the molecular biology of oesophageal injury, he completed his specialist training in 2010. Since then he has been a consultant in the northwest of England followed by 9 years at the prestigious John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, as part of Oxford University, where he developed the regional severe pancreatitis service, the abdominal wall hernia and reconstruction service, and promoted the Acute General Surgery department.
Chris has been active with the College for many years. Initially this was with the Surgical Specialty board then progressed to be involved extensively with the college education department where he developed the ‘Laparoscopic Skills in Emergency Surgery’ course and was faculty on several others, including training the trainers, ATLS and DSTS. He enjoys teaching and training and is currently a senior lecturer for the University of Queensland where he is deputy lead for year 3 studies at the rural medical school in Rockhampton.
He emigrated to Australia in 2023 where he is currently the Clinical Director for surgery at the Rockhampton Base hospital. He leads the benign Upper GI service there and undertakes the abdominal wall reconstruction service as well as being active in emergency surgery.
He lives in Rockhampton with his wife and three of his six children, (and a dachshund called Frank).
Dr Ian Young AM (BSc MD MHA FRACS FAOrthA FRCSEd FSAScot) graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada in 1992 and completed training in Family Medicine in 1994. He served in the Canadian Forces as a Medical Officer from 1990 to 1998 and transferred to the Royal Australian Navy in 1998. After a few years working as a General Practitioner in the Navy he then entered surgical training and completed his advanced training in orthopaedic surgery in 2008.
Ian is an orthopaedic surgeon and Deputy Director of Surgery for Bayside Health, Peninsula Care Group in Frankston, Victoria, Australia. His primary interests are in lower limb arthroplasty and trauma. Ian is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer with Monash University and obtained a Master of Health Administration degree from that institution.
Away from the hospital Ian is the President of the Australasian Military Medicine Association (AMMA) and is the President and Chief Medical Officer of St Andrew’s First Aid Australia. He is on the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Trauma Committee and the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) Committee. He is faculty for ATLS courses and Definitive Surgical Trauma Care (DSTC) courses.
Ian is very involved in the Scottish-Australian community as Vice President of the Melbourne Highland Games and Celtic Festival, Vice President of the Robert Burns Club of Melbourne, and Vice President of the Scottish Australian Heritage Council.
Ian is a Captain in the Royal Australian Navy Reserves with multiple operational deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. He was appointed as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia in the Military Division on the Australia Day 2019 Honours List.
Dr Saqib Zafar (BSc, MBBS, MRCS (Edin), FRACS (Orth), FAOrthA) is an Australian-trained orthopaedic surgeon specialising in Foot and Ankle Surgery, Limb Reconstruction and Orthopaedic Trauma.
He completed his undergraduate medical degree at King Edward Medical College, Pakistan, in 2002, and undertook basic surgical training in the UK, obtaining Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (MRCS) in 2006. He gained Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS Orth) in 2020. In 2022, he received the Joint Surgical Colleges Medal for the highest score at first attempt in the Fellowship Examination in Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Edinburgh.
He then completed three subspecialty fellowships: Foot and Ankle Surgery at Prince of Wales Hospital and North Sydney Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Centre, and Orthopaedic Trauma at Canberra Hospital (Level 1 Trauma Centre). Earlier, he was a Research Trauma Fellow at University Hospitals Birmingham.
His clinical interests include arthroscopic and open foot and ankle reconstruction, ankle joint replacement, sports injuries, bunions, arthritis, lower-limb trauma, and the management of chronic infection and complex deformity, including Charcot and diabetic feet.
Dr Zafar is Director of Training for the AOA Orthopaedic Training Program at Canberra Health Services, a director of Canberra Orthopaedic Research Organisation, and Honorary Clinical Lecturer at the ANU Medical School. He instructs on the RACS Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course, has published and presented internationally, and holds membership of the Australian, American, Foot and Ankle Societies.
East Asia
To find your nearest International Surgical Ambassador located in East Asia, please find your country in the list below.
Kent-Man Chu is Pollyanna Chung and Eric Cheung Professor in Surgical Oncology, Honorary Consultant Surgeon, Director of the Surgical Endoscopy Service, and Director of the Centre for Education and Training, in the Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong. He was the Chief of the Division of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery until its merge with the Division of Esophageal Surgery. He obtained his undergraduate medical degree from The University of Hong Kong in 1987.
He was the 1999 International Guest Scholar of The American College of Surgeons. He also received the Faculty Teaching Medal 2003 of The University of Hong Kong. His main clinical and research interests are on upper gastrointestinal conditions, clinical and laboratory research on gastric tumours, endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery for the upper gastrointestinal tract, and surgical education. He introduced to Queen Mary Hospital laparoscopic upper gastrointestinal surgery in 1995, laparoscopic gastrectomy in 2001, and bariatric surgery in 2007.
He is the President of College of Surgeons of Hong Kong (2022 – 2025). He is the President (2021 – 2023), Honorary Advisor (2017 – now), and Secretary General (2005 – 2011) of the Asian Surgical Association. He is the President (2019 – now) of the International Society for Digestive Surgery – Asian Pacific. He was the President (2018 – 2022) of the Hong Kong Society of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons. He is the Founding President (2015 – 2021) of the Hong Kong Endoscopic Ultrasonography Society. He is a council member of the Hong Kong Society of Minimal Access Surgery. He was a member (2016 – 2018) of the International Relations Committee of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), USA. He was a member (2020 – 2024) of the Program Subcommittee, Stomach/Bariatric/Metabolic, of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), USA. He is a member (2021 – now) of the Board of Directors, and Treasurer (2021 – now), of the Asian Pacific Digestive Week Federation (APDWF). He is International Surgical Ambassador (Hong Kong) of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (2025 – now).
He is an Expert Reviewer for the International Union Against Cancer (UICC), Geneva, Switzerland. He is a Sentinel Reader for McMaster Online Rating of Evidence (MORE), McMaster University, Canada. He has published one doctoral thesis, 7 book chapters, over 187 journal articles, and over 161 conference proceedings. He has also been an invited speaker or faculty on more than 305 occasions. He has been ranked among the top 2% scientists worldwide in 2023, 2024, and 2025 in their specialty areas by Stanford University (career-long impact).
Middle East
To find your nearest International Surgical Ambassador located in Middle East, please find your country in the list below.
Emad Saweeres is an Orthopaedic Professor and Chairman of the Orthopaedic Advisory Committee in Cairo, Egypt, graduated and earned an M.Sc. in Orthopaedics from Cairo University. After training in the UK and completing research on ACL reconstruction, he returned to Egypt, building a clinical and teaching portfolio with a focus on arthroplasty and biomechanics. Currently holding key roles in the Arab Board of Health Specialisation and EFOT, he is an accomplished ATLS instructor and has directed various international courses. In 2019, he received the "Innovation in Education Award" from AOTrauma. Collaborating on the "Excellence in Education" course, his work garnered distinction in Harvard Medical School's Postgraduate Certificate Program in 2020.
Mai Rostom is an Egyptian born and UK trained plastic surgeon. Her primary areas of interest are hand surgery, microsurgery, and reconstruction. She has completed fellowships in hand surgery, reconstructive microsurgery and aesthetic surgery in Sydney, Australia and has travelled widely in pursuit of further training and education. She has recently moved back to Egypt and splits her practice between Egypt and the UK.
South Asia
To find your nearest International Surgical Ambassador located in South Asia please find your country in the list below.
Department of Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery
MBBS, MS (Neurosurgery), MRCS (Glasgow), MRCS (England), FRCS (Edinburgh), FACS, FICS, FMAS, IFAANS
Saumitra Sarkar is a Professor and Head of Neurosurgery in Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka, where he teaches residents and undergraduate medical students. He is a leading Neurosurgeon and an expert in advanced reconstructive and complex Neuro-spine procedures. In addition, he has deep interests in Spine surgery research, surgical innovation, online medical training and the history of neurosurgery and professional leadership. He serves as a Secretary, International College of Surgeons (ICS), Bangladesh Section and as an Executive editor of JShSMC. He has been a member of various societies including the Society of British Neurological Surgeons, Association of Surgeons of India, Association of Minimal Access Surgery of India, American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He has a number of publications in international and local journals and he continues to strive to publish high-quality articles relevant to this field. He is an excellent public speaker and has invited various conferences to present his work locally and internationally.
South East Asia
To find your nearest International Surgical Ambassador located in South East Asia, please find your country in the list below.
Chee Loong Yeap (CL Yeap) is an Upper Gastrointestinal surgeon based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He obtained his Medical Degree (MBBS) and Master of Surgery (M.Surgery) from the University of Malaya, Malaysia. Subsequently, CL Yeap pursued Senior Clinical Fellowship Training in Advanced Upper GI Surgery at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Scotland.
CL Yeap is an accredited surgeon in Robotic Surgery, and with a focus on Minimally Invasive Surgery. He holds Fellowship with the Academy of Medicine Malaysia (FAMM), the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCS), and the American College of Surgeons (ACS) United States.
Additionally, CL Yeap has a profound interest in Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTTS) and currently serves as the co-chairman of the NOTSS international subgroup committee for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd). He actively contributes to the advancement of Masterclasses globally, and with a particular emphasis on Asia. In addition, CL Yeap serves as an external examiner for the Malaysian National Conjoint Board for the Master of Surgery Examination and has previously held the position of Senior Lecturer at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur.