Surgical Research - Overview

Research by surgeons over the past 50 years has probably done more to reduce death and disease and improve the quality of life for patients than research in any other field.

Surgical research is not restricted to a single area of illness but ranges from cancer to heart disease, and from childhood illnesses to conditions affecting the elderly. We are now seeing the benefits in clinical practice of surgical research undertaken many years ago.

Surgical advances that have made fatal conditions curable and helped prolong life include:

• organ transplantation - kidney, liver, heart and lungs
• treatment of cancers, head injury and stroke
• keyhole surgery

Surgical advances that have improved the quality of life include:

• correction of congenital deformities, such as cleft palate in children
• reconstructive plastic surgery
• hip and other joint replacement.

The Surgical Research Fellowship Scheme

The College promotes surgical research through its Surgical Research Fellowships Scheme, whereby young surgeons are given the opportunity to carry out important research projects in specialist centres of excellence throughout the UK. The research can be into any condition, disability or treatment related to an aspect of surgery that brings patient benefit directly to the bedside.

Since the launch of the scheme in 1993, over 400 fellowships have been awarded to innovative programmes, an investment amounting to over £14million. Each year the College aims to award 20-25 fellowships and some currently running projects are listed below:

‘Optimum timing for surgery after pre-operative radiotherapy’ at the Mayday University Hospital & SW London Colorectal Cancer Network, Croydon

 

Miss Jessica Evans MRCS is generously funded by the Grand Lodge of Freemasons 250th Anniversary Fund

‘Quorum sensing and immune function in healthy volunteers and surgical patients’ at the Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre Biomedical Research Unit, Nottingham University Hospital

 

Mr Abeed Chowdhury MRCS is generously funded by the Frances and Augustus Newman Foundation

‘The effects of seizures on brain physiology and chemistry following head injury’ at the Academic Department of Neurosurgery, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge

Mr Matthew Guilfoyle MRCS is a recipient of the Philip King Research Fellowship

How to get involved

Donating to the scheme:

Each Research Fellowship costs in the region of £48,500 per annum. This includes the cost of maintaining the Research Fellow's salary (including National Insurance and other contributions) consumables and presentation of the work both nationally, and internationally.

Some charitable funders choose to support a complete piece of research each year, often linked to a specific illness or disability, while others contribute to the scheme in general. All donations are acknowledged in the annual Research Report and where specific projects have been funded these are named eponymously after the sponsor.

To make a donation or for further information about the scheme: please contact Jonathan Fountain jfountai@rcseng.ac.uk or if you prefer call on 020 7869 6080.

Our events:

The College continues to organise events to highlight the work of our research fellows. Over the past two years four research evenings have been held at the College and a further twelve presentations to Women’s Institutes, Freemasons Lodges and other national groups across the United Kingdom. These events are invaluable in communicating to our donors and the wider public the results of ground-breaking research supported through this scheme. For information about holding events in your area, please contact the Development Office (development@rcseng.ac.uk).

Current funders

The success of the College’s Surgical Research Fellowship Scheme would not be possible without the loyalty and generosity of our funding partners; charitable trusts, companies and individuals who share in our aim of securing improvements in patient care and recovery. 

"The Dunhill Medical Trust is delighted to be able to work in partnership with the College by supporting five research fellowships in surgery related to diseases of ageing and older people. One of DMT’s key objectives is to support activities aimed at expanding research capacity amongst clinicians and scientists and our long-standing relationship with the College has helped to fulfill this. Teaming up with the College has meant that we have had access to the most talented young surgeons in the country and have been able to provide them with an opportunity to take time out of their specialist training to gain valuable experience of rigorous research and research methods which will enhance their future careers as well as contributing to the sum of surgical knowledge."

Claire Large, Administrative Director

The College, surgeons and patients have every reason to be grateful to them.

Here are some of the charitable trusts, companies, College Fellows and individuals who have supported surgical research at the College including:

Foundations/Charitable trusts/Corporate donations/Individuals

• Andrew Anderson Charitable Trust
• Ballinger Charitable Trust
• Blond McIndoe Medical Research Trust
• Caravan Club
• Mr Eion Crighton
• East Grinstead Medical Research Trust
• Enid Linder Foundation
• Eranda Foundation
• Ethicon UK Ltd
• Euclid Lodge of Installed Masters
• Family Rich Charities Trust
• Fellows Fellowship Fund – The College is very grateful to its many members and fellows who donate regularly to the fellowship scheme.
• Frances & Augustus Newman Foundation
• The Family of the late Mr Stefan Galeski FRCS
• George Drexler Foundation
• Grand Lodge of Freemasons 250^th Anniversary Fund
• Henry Smith Charity
• Herefordshire Masonic Charity Association
• Mrs Bella Hopewell
• Kirby Laing Foundation
• Lodge of Academe No 9337
• Rosetrees Charitable Trust
• Sir Samuels Scott of Yews Charitable Trust
• Shears Foundation
• Thomas Sivewright Catto Charitable Settlement
• Vandervell Foundation
• Warwickshire Installed Masters Lodge
• Wyndham Charitable Trust
• W D Macpherson Trust

Joint Fellowships

• American College of Surgeons
• Arthritis Research Campaign
• Botnar Family
• British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons
• British Scoliosis Research Foundation
• British Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Cancer Research UK
• CORE
  Society of Academic & Research Surgeons
• Dunhill Medical Trust
• Healing Foundation
• Ia – The Ileostomy & Internal Pouch Support Group
• Medical Research Council
• National Kidney Research Fund
• Research into Ageing - Help the Aged
• Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust
• Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
• Stroke Association
• Welsh Surgical Society

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