Download - Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery
Download - Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery
Download - Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
8<br />
theBulletin<br />
Chairman of the SAC<br />
Report<br />
Mr Timothy R Graham<br />
This will be my last article <strong>for</strong> the Bulletin<br />
as Chairman of the SAC as my period of<br />
office ends in October 2010.<br />
It only seems a short while since I was<br />
appointed as Chairman of the SAC in<br />
October 2007 picking up the reins of a<br />
strong SAC after the period of<br />
chairmanship with Chris Munsch. Those of<br />
you that have knowledge of SAC meetings<br />
will know that they are prolonged affairs<br />
with much business and a great deal of<br />
robust and opinionated debate all of which<br />
focuses on optimising the training and<br />
opportunities <strong>for</strong> UK trainees in our<br />
specialty! My lasting memories of being<br />
chairman of the SAC will be the support<br />
and hard work of the other members of the<br />
SAC during that time.<br />
Steve Livesey has been an extremely<br />
supportive deputy chair and in addition to<br />
all the other work he undertakes on behalf<br />
of the specialty in particular revalidation<br />
he has continued to keep the curriculum<br />
up to date (recently approved by PMETB)<br />
and has been our lead <strong>for</strong> ISCP.<br />
Dr Vicky Osgood who is the post graduate<br />
dean <strong>for</strong> Wessex has been our lead dean<br />
<strong>for</strong> the specialty. Her contribution has<br />
been phenomenal over the last three<br />
years; she has been a voice of reason and<br />
common sense and in particular has<br />
contributed greatly to our specialty in<br />
leading on work<strong>for</strong>ce planning and the<br />
development of consortia of training within<br />
the specialty even across borders. In<br />
addition on numerous occasions she has<br />
stopped the other members of the SAC<br />
from doing potentially stupid things!.<br />
Steve Hunter has been involved with the SAC<br />
now <strong>for</strong> over a decade and he has served as<br />
the post graduate dean <strong>for</strong> the specialty<br />
after election by the trainees and more<br />
recently has been appointed as the lead <strong>for</strong><br />
National Selection since 2008 which is<br />
widely regarded as the lead surgical<br />
specialty process by MMC/NHS. Steve, Sion<br />
Barnard and Hettie Till (Statistician) will<br />
report on the three years of the process in<br />
the next bulletin later this year.<br />
I should also note the contribution that has<br />
been made to National Selection by Lady<br />
Cynthia Irvine who has been our Lay Chair<br />
Lady on all three National Selection<br />
processes and has contributed to the<br />
detailed written reports of the process to<br />
MMC.<br />
Sion Barnard who has recently been<br />
elected as Dean <strong>for</strong> the specialty has also<br />
been a co-lead on National Selection and<br />
the SAC lead on core/basic surgical<br />
training.<br />
All the appointed SAC members in addition<br />
to their responsibilities as SAC Liaison<br />
members <strong>for</strong> all the UK programmes have a<br />
specific portfolio of work and activity – this<br />
<strong>for</strong>tunately means I do not have to attend<br />
all of the meetings!<br />
David Barron is the SAC lead <strong>for</strong> congenital<br />
cardiac surgery and has been largely<br />
responsible <strong>for</strong> putting together the<br />
specialties bid <strong>for</strong> congenital cardiac<br />
surgery to be recognised as a sub-specialty<br />
by PMETB. This has been an enormous<br />
amount of work and has recently been<br />
approved by NHS employers and is due to<br />
be submitted via JCST to PMETB during the<br />
summer.<br />
Pala Rajesh has been the lead SAC<br />
member <strong>for</strong> Thoracic <strong>Surgery</strong> and has<br />
recently together with the thoracic surgery<br />
sub group <strong>for</strong> the society; worked to<br />
develop pre CCT advanced thoracic<br />
surgical training opportunities to<br />
encourage the training of consultant<br />
thoracic surgeons <strong>for</strong> the future.<br />
Jonathan Unsworth-White has recently<br />
taken on the responsibility <strong>for</strong> developing<br />
the electronic on-line shortlisting process<br />
<strong>for</strong> National Selection which was utilised<br />
<strong>for</strong> the first time this year.<br />
John Wallwork has as would be expected<br />
been a senior figure and influence on the<br />
SAC and in addition to being the academic<br />
lead he has also been largely responsible<br />
<strong>for</strong> the development of pre-CCT fellows in<br />
<strong>Cardiothoracic</strong> Transplantation to<br />
hopefully fill the anticipated gaps which<br />
will be left by the current ageing consultant<br />
transplant surgical work<strong>for</strong>ce.<br />
Domenico Pagano has been co-opted onto<br />
the SAC and we are grateful to him <strong>for</strong><br />
organising and leading on National<br />
Academic Selection which has occurred<br />
with National NTN Selection which is a<br />
considerable political achievement.<br />
Bob Jeffrey has<br />
been Chairman of<br />
the Examination<br />
Board and during<br />
his tenure the<br />
SAC has been<br />
able to work with<br />
Intercollegiate<br />
Exam Board<br />
towards developing sensible<br />
recommendations regarding the structured<br />
reference <strong>for</strong>m and also the timing of NTN’s<br />
sitting the intercollegiate exam to facilitate<br />
advanced pre-CCT training in the different<br />
aspects of the specialty.<br />
Alan Kirk has contributed to the<br />
development of the Selection Stations <strong>for</strong><br />
National Selection together with Peter<br />
O’Keefe and Jonathan Hyde has recently<br />
taken on the responsibility <strong>for</strong> Curriculum<br />
development.<br />
John Pepper who is Education Secretary<br />
<strong>for</strong> the <strong>Society</strong> via the education subcommittee<br />
has liaised with the SAC well<br />
with regards to issues such as<br />
scholarships and awards and development<br />
in general of mutual educational and<br />
training issues.<br />
We are also grateful to John Anderson who<br />
has worked very hard over the past year<br />
initially with helping to compile the annual<br />
specialty report to PMETB and latterly with<br />
a detailed analytical review of all the<br />
programme bids <strong>for</strong> NTN’s <strong>for</strong> the 2010<br />
round of selection giving the SAC the most<br />
up to date stocktake of training of all the<br />
surgical specialities.<br />
Phil Kay has also contributed strongly to<br />
both work<strong>for</strong>ce planning and the<br />
compilation of the annual specialty report<br />
and Lars Nolke and previously Vincent<br />
Young have represented the Royal College<br />
of Surgeons in Ireland well. James<br />
Roxburgh has continued to advise the SAC<br />
with regard to surgical log books.<br />
I have been <strong>for</strong>tunate during my tenure as<br />
Chairman of the SAC that the trainees<br />
representative has been Sunil Bhudia; his<br />
quiet and relaxed demeanour is a front <strong>for</strong><br />
someone who has worked exceptionally<br />
hard both <strong>for</strong> the SAC and in particular the<br />
trainees. He has helped keep the register<br />
on the employment of UK CCT holders<br />
which has given us the best handle on the