Insight: Portraits of Women in Surgery

Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 38–43 Lincolns Inn Fields, London 
Friday 6 February – Saturday 18 April 2026, Wednesdays to Saturdays, 10am-5pm 
Included with free entry ticket to Hunterian Museum, book via Hunterian Museum website. 
Hunterian Museum | Insight: Portraits of Women in Surgery 

In 2025, for the first time ever, the UK had more female than male doctors. 

Insight: Portraits of Women in Surgery is a timely new exhibition opening at the Hunterian Museum, housed inside the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) in London. The exhibition shines a spotlight on women in surgery working across the UK today, offering an intimate and contemporary look at surgical life. 

Open throughout International Women’s Month and beyond, the exhibition brings together women in surgery from different surgical specialities, career stages, and regions across the UK. The exhibition also lays bare the contrast between progress and persistent inequality. While women now make up over half of doctors, only about 17% of consultant surgeons in the UK are female, with 36% of doctors in surgical training being women. 

All of the surgeons featured in Insight: Portraits of Women in Surgery are members of the Women in Surgery Network (WinS), a national initiative dedicated to encouraging, enabling and inspiring women to fulfil their surgical career ambitions.  

The portraits are set in environments reflective of their work and were taken by NHS trust staff, including specialist clinical photographers and, in one case, a fellow surgeon. 

The exhibition’s curator, Alice Watkinson-Deane, said:  
“This exhibition peers into a world of quiet operating theatres and busy on-calls, helping us to better understand what it is like to be a surgeon working in the UK today.    
“The surgeons chose how they wished to be portrayed, and their photographs add greater breadth to the rich history of portraiture here at the Royal College of Surgeons of England.” 

On the significance of the exhibition, Professor Felicity Meyer, Chair of the Women in Surgery Forum (WinS) at RCS England, and Consultant Vascular Surgeon, said:  
“A career in surgery is very fulfilling, but there are still so many barriers to women who want to make it their profession. The exhibition showcases brilliant surgical colleagues who have challenged stereotypes and stigma against women in surgery, and persevered to change lives.  
“WinS continues to platform the importance of diversity across the workforce and challenge the government and the NHS to prioritise flexible, supportive and inclusive training and working practices.”  

Through portrait photography and first-person reflection, the exhibition explores the personal motivations and experiences that shape surgical careers today. 

Manuela Cresswell, Consultant Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust said:  
“As a teenager, I witnessed a road traffic accident with multiple casualties and fatalities. My parents, both doctors, were first at the scene, and watching their calm triage, teamwork, and difficult decision-making left a lasting impression on me. I realised I wanted the skills to help in moments of crisis.”    

Olivia Howe, Core Surgical Trainee at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said: 
“I have always been half deaf and was told by a doctor growing up they doubted I could cope with all the background noise in hospitals, so I knew I was going to prove them wrong.” 

Jennifer Lane, Academic Clinical Lecturer in Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery at Queen Mary University of London said: “Surgical culture is not changing quickly enough, and we all need to be responsible for leading this change. If we can bring our diverse heritages and lived experiences to work, we have the chance to truly care the best we can for our patients.” 

Panchali Sarmah, Post-CTT Senior Clinical Fellow in General Surgery at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said:  
“It’s the surprise on people’s faces when I repeat that yes, I, this short Asian female, am a surgeon.” 

Chloe Paylor, Registrar in Trauma and Orthopaedics, at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: 
“It is possible to succeed as a woman in a male dominated field, it is possible to be a surgeon and enjoy a life outside of work, it is possible to be a surgeon and a mother. I hope my two young daughters see this exhibition and know that they can achieve anything they set their minds to.” 

ENDS  

Notes to editors:  

1. For image requests or additional information about the exhibition, please contact the press office: telephone: 020 7869 6053/6054/6060; email: pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk; out-of-hours media enquiries: 0207 869 6056. 
2. More information on the exhibition can be found here: Hunterian Museum | Insight: Portraits of Women in Surgery 
3. The exhibition will take place at the Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons of England, 38-43 Lincolns Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3PE 
4. The exhibition will be open from Friday 6 February – Saturday 18 April 2026, Wednesdays – Saturdays, 10am-5pm 
5. Entry to the exhibition is included with a free entry ticket to the Hunterian Museum, to be booked here: Hunterian Museum 
6. Figures on the surgical workforce can be found here: Statistics — Royal College of Surgeons 
7. Clinical photographers are responsible for visually recording patient’s medical conditions. With the patients consent, these then form part of their medical records, and may be used for diagnosis, monitoring, research, or teaching.  Learn more here: Careers in Medical Illustration - Institute of Medical Illustrators 
8. Surgeons/Photographers/Trusts included: 
a. Anusha Edwards, by Rebecca Sellick and Dawn White, North Bristol NHS Trust 
b. Professor Felicity Meyer, by Wayne Fysh, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust 
c. Evelyn Ong, by Bethany Stanley, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
d. Sarah Farmer, by Lorna Jones, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board 
e. Olivia Howe, by Thomas Harrison, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust  
f. Chloé Ifeoluwa Rolland, by Abbey Hespin, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
g. Jennifer Lane, by Mic Dessi, Queen Mary University of London 
h. Sala Abdalla, by Steve Watkins, London North West University Healthcare Trust  
i. Ginny Bowbrick, by Evie Flewitt, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust 
j. Sarah Braungart, by Morag Warrender, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde 
k. Banan Osman, by Laura Jackman, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust  
l. Maleene Patel, by Harriet Armstrong, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust 
m. Carin van Doorn, by Charlotte Marsh, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 
n. Nicola Mackay, by Steven Box, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust 
o. Catherine Kwok-Yan Lau, by Helen Crompton, The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust 
p. Manuela Cresswell, by Paige Nolan, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust 
q. Isma Iqbal, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
r. Julie Kohls, by Ashley Prytherch, Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust 
s. Kajal Gohil, by Inez Szczepanska, Sailsbury NHS Foundation Trust 
t. Jane Patterson, by Laura Hardwick, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
u. Nina Purvis, European Space Agency 
v. Claire Brash, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 
w. Panchali Sarmah, by Charlotte Shepherd, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
x. Michelle Christodoulidou, by Tara Molloy, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust  
y. Chloe Paylor, by Robin Elliot and Marie Jones, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
9. Hunterian Museum: The Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England is named after the 18th century surgeon and anatomist John Hunter (1728-1793). The museum includes the display of over 2,000 anatomical preparations from Hunter’s original collection, alongside instruments, equipment, models, paintings and archive material, which trace the history of surgery from ancient times to the latest robot-assisted operations. The Museum includes England’s largest public display of human anatomy. 
10. Women in Surgery (WinS) Network: The Women in Surgery Network (WinS) brings together over 6,000 members, from students to senior consultants, united by a shared ambition of advancing surgical careers for women. WinS builds on the legacy of Women in Surgical Training (WiST), founded in 1991. RCS England established WinS in 2007, continuing this work and creating the only dedicated women in surgery group led by a surgical college. Our purpose remains clear: to encourage, enable, and inspire women to thrive at every stage of their surgical journey. 
11. Royal College of Surgeons of England: The Royal College of Surgeons of England provides world-class education, assessment and development to 30,000 surgeons, dental professionals and members of the wider surgical and dental care teams, at all stages of their career. Our vision is to see excellent surgical care for everyone. We do this by setting professional standards, facilitating research and championing the best outcomes for patients.