2011 Surgeon Scientist Award

In 2011 we introduced the Surgeon Scientist Award of £55,000 to support vascular surgeons in training. 

Alan Karthikesalingam of St George’s Vascular Institute beat off stiff competition to be awarded the SSA for his research into post-operative endovascular AAA repair (EVAR) surveillance.

Patients treated with EVAR have to undergo an average of five CT scans per year after their operation to check for any problems with the stent.  This involves being injected with chemicals which can damage the kidneys and exposures patients to high levels of radiation.

By using scans and data from previous EVAR patients, Alan and his team will be creating 3D images of the aneurysms pre-operation and taking data from the scans post-operatively to identify which different aneurysm shapes cause the most problems after the operation.  This means that surgeons will be able to more easily identify where problems may arise before the operation takes place and importantly, how the patient is monitored after the operation.

President’s Early Career Award
Colin Bicknell of St Mary’s Hospital, London was awarded the President’s Early Career Award in 2011 for his in-depth review of safety and efficiency in vascular and endovascular surgery, where there is now a reliance on technology and multidisciplinary team-work.

This will allow vascular specialists to understand the most important and frequent errors that occur in the operating theatre and establish procedures to predict and reduce error, therefore improving quality of care and ensuring better patient outcomes.