About us
Learn more about White Rose Surgical Collaborative.
Our story
The White Rose Surgical Collaborative (WRSC) is the trainee-led research network for intestinal and general surgery in Yorkshire. It aims to facilitate high quality, collaborative, audit and research projects whilst promoting engagement in research. It is led and facilitated by trainees throughout the region.
Calling all researchers!
White Rose is looking for eager researchers to get involved in upcoming projects! Whether you are an experienced veteran or hungry to learn more about publishing, recruiting to trials or conducting clinical research; we want to hear from you.
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Our
Successes
The network has been successful in delivering and supporting a number of projects in the last 5 years, including at regional and national levels:
— National Audit of Small Bowel Obstruction (NASBO)
— Management of Cholecystitis (MACHO) Regional Audit
— Management of Acute Symptomatic Hernias (MASH) Regional Audit
Our Strategic Aims
The WRSC strategic aims for 2022-2025 are as follows:
— To integrate the full extended surgical team, including nurses, surgical practitioners, and allied professionals, in all WRSC activities and projects
— To pursue diverse collaborations with cross-disciplinary clinical and academic groups, capable addressing unmet surgical and patient needs in Yorkshire
— To deliver opportunities for all WRSC members to explore and develop academic competencies through education and experience
Team
Steve Chapman
Steve is a Colorectal Registrar in Yorkshire, NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Surgery at the University of Leeds, and RCS (Eng)/BRUK Associate Surgical Speciality Lead in Coloproctology. His research interests are in bowel disease, recovery after surgery, and health technology. Steve was awarded his PhD in 2022, exploring novel solutions to reduce ileus after surgery. His work in this area was recognised by a prestigious RCS (Eng) Hunterian Lectureship. Steve is committed to promoting enthusiasm in bowel research and supporting early career researchers
Jack Helliwell
Jack is an NIHR Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Leeds and a General Surgery Registrar in Yorkshire. He studied medicine at the University of Leeds, where he received the EXSEL scholarship, which enabled him to undertake further research training at Yale University, USA. After graduating in 2018, Jack completed the Academic Foundation Programme, followed by an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship and basic surgical training in Yorkshire. He is currently working towards a PhD that explores the role of the gut microbiome in improving outcomes following colorectal cancer surgery.
Mikolaj Kowal
Mikolaj (also known as Nick) is a Clinical Research Fellow in General Surgery at the University of Leeds and a General Surgery Registrar in Yorkshire. His research interests are in surgical technologies, he is currently working on the HoloSurge project, an EU Horizon grant advancing organ hologram technology to enhance informed surgical decision-making in HPB Surgery. Mikolaj’s PhD will focus on the applications of Immersive Technologies in General Surgery. He is passionate about trainee-led and collaborative research which led to his work with the WRSC.
Katie Boag
Katie is a NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow and General Surgery registrar in Yorkshire. She has an academic interest in environmental sustainability within the theatre environment, and has focused her research to date on rationalisation of instrument trays, and reduction of waste. Katie won the Green Surgery Challenge in 2021 alongside the team at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust for their work on reducing waste during an Appendicectomy, which changed hospital practice and gained national attention. She has since replicated this work to other operations, and hopes in the future to create national change, and carbon reduction through similar models.
Adil Rashid
Adil is a surgical trainee based in Sheffield. His journey with the White Rose Surgical Collaborative began as a collaborator on the MAGIC study, where he learned the significant impact of trainee-led initiatives in identifying variations and promoting best practices for patient care. Currently, Adil is taking time out of his training in his role as the Clinical Fellow for the National Bowel Cancer Audit. Outside of work, Adil enjoys playing tennis. He is happy for people to get in touch with him if they want to know more about the WRSC.
Tom Williams
Tom is a Foundation Year 1 doctor at St James’s University Hospital and a part-time army reservist, with a keen interest in acute trauma and emergency surgery. He joined the WRSC to contribute to the clinical literature in general surgery and to enhance research accessibility for junior trainees and medical students.
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