ASGBI Podcasts

From Basics to Brilliance; Intestinal Failure Conversations - Part 1

In this episode, Professor Dermott Burke (St James's University Hospital) is joined by Mr Amarvir Bilkhu (Colorectal Fellow, St James’s University Hospital) and Mr George Mori (SpR, St James’s University Hospital) for a practical discussion on the assessment and management of intestinal failure. Through case-based scenarios, they explore key principles including early recognition, multidisciplinary management, nutritional support, sepsis control, and surgical decision-making.

Episode 6: USA vs. UK: ASGBI: Current Challenges and Hopes for the Future of Surgical Training

Welcome to the 6th episode of our BTK/ASGBI series!  During this series, BTK fellow Agnes Premkumar and ASGBI hosts Jared Wohlgemut and Gita Lingam will compare and contrast various aspects of surgery between the United States and the United Kingdom, debating who does what better. 
In this episode, we delve into surgical training, current challenges, and hopes for the future of surgical training in the US and the UK. We will be discussing the advent of the EPA curriculum in the US, the current challenge of obtaining a speciality position in the UK, and tips for making the resident to attending/junior faculty transition smoothly. Dr. Jeremy Lipman represents the US while Dr. Phil Pearce represents the UK in this thought-provoking conversation.
Lipman is a colorectal surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and the director of graduate medical education for all training programs at the Cleveland Clinic. Additionally, he is an Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Professor of Surgery at Case Western Reserve University. He is passionate about surgical training and holds the James E. Sampliner Endowed Chair in Surgical Education. 
Phil Pearce is a consultant in emergency general surgery in Oxford with interests in trauma, complex biliary disease, and most importantly a passion for training.
References:
Speciality training position in the NHS:
https://www.ft.com/content/e4b364c3-6a20-42ee-a9a5-ab9eea441c87?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jul/02/nhs-in-england-told-to-slash-recruitment-of-overseas-trained-medics?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Surgery job market in the US:
https://surgpli.com/the-state-of-surgery-as-a-career-in-2025/
EPA curriculum:
https://www.aamc.org/about-us/mission-areas/medical-education/cbme/core-epas

Episode 5: USA vs. UK: ASGBI: Sustainable Surgical Practices

The evidence for climate change is irrefutable. But how does surgical care contribute to global emissions, and is there anything we can do to make surgery more sustainable? Join Jon Williams and our ASGBI partners (Kellie Bateman and Jared Wohlgemut) for the next instalment of our BTK/ASGBI collaborative series, where we discuss how to make surgical care greener. Mrs. Cleo Kennington from the UK and Dr. Benjamin Miller from the US are our guest experts, and provide valuable insights into local sustainability efforts you can take home to your hospital, broader concepts of how high-quality care is sustainable, innovations in sustainability, and what the future of sustainable surgery may look like. After listening, you get to decide–Who has more sustainable surgical practices? The UK or US?
Cleo Kenington is a Consultant Emergency General and Trauma Surgeon at St George’s Hospital, London and was the recent ASGBI Sustainability Lead. She is a big advocate for practicing what she preaches, focusing on how we can reduce the environmental impact at all stages, from cycling to work, preventing complications and unnecessary surgeries, to reducing the use of disposable surgical components. 
Benjamin Miller is a general and minimally invasive surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, with a clinical focus on complex abdominal wall reconstruction. After earning his MD from University of Minnesota School of Medicine in 2011, Dr. Miller went to Nashville to complete his general surgery residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Following this, he became a MIS/complex ab wall fellow at Cleveland Clinic, after which he joined as faculty in 2023. In addition to his clinical interests, Dr. Miller has a deep passion for sustainability efforts within surgical practice, carrying on the legacy of established sustainability efforts within surgical care at Cleveland Clinic and training the next generation of sustainable surgeons.
 

Episode 4: USA vs. UK: ASGBI: Conferences

Surgical conferences are a forum of the profession–where we all gather to socialize, share clinical experiences, promote academic work, and learn from each other. But what goes into putting these conferences together? In this next installment of the BTK/ASGBI collaborative series, Jon Williams and ASGBI co-hosts Kellie Bateman and Jared Wohlgemut welcome Mr. Dimitrios Damaskos from Edinburgh and Dr. Anne Lidor from the University of Wisconsin to take a look behind the scenes of conference planning. We’ll cover logistics, program selection, how surgical societies strive to support their members and trainees, and much more!
Mr Dimitrios Damaskos, initially from Greece, he came to the UK for his fellowship and is a UGI and Emergency General Surgical Consultant with an interest in abdominal wall surgery based in The Royal Infirmary Edinburgh. He is the current Director of Scientific Programme for ASGBI and responsible for organising our main International Congress which this year happens to be in Edinburgh. He has also held numerous other events for surgical societies including the British Hernia Society.
Lidor serves as the program chair for the Society for American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (i.e. SAGES), which is a wide-reaching US-based international surgical society that encompasses many facets of general surgery. The SAGES Annual Meeting was just last month, and is a great opportunity for surgeons to convene and share clinical experiences, academic work, and professionally connect. Dr. Lidor completed medical school at the New York Medical College, and then moved on to George Washington University for general surgery residency training. Following residency, she moved to Baltimore to Johns Hopkins where she completed her MIS/Bariatric Surgery fellowship and subsequently stayed on as a faculty surgeon. After years at Hopkins during which she held many education leadership roles both at the medical school and as fellowship director, she moved to the University of Wisconsin to become Chief of Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery, a role she continues to hold today. 

Episode 3: USA vs. UK: ASGBI: Who does Research Better?

Research is so critical to the field of surgery worldwide. But how does the world of academic surgery compare in the UK? Join BTK fellow Jon Williams and ASGBI partner Jared Wohlgemut for another instalment of our BTK/ASGBI collaborative series, where we take a deep dive into investigating the many facets of surgical research–everything from getting started, funding, collaboration, mentorship, and sage advice from two incredibly successful academic surgeons. Professor Susan Moug represents the UK while Dr. Lesly Dossett represents the US in this excellent episode for any trainee or surgeon who is academically-inclined. After listening, you get to decide–who does it better?? UK or US?
Professor Moug is an Honorary Professor at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. She is a Consultant Colorectal and Robotic surgeon at Golden Jubilee National University Hospital in Clydebank, and at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, Scotland. She is also the Director of Research for the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland since 2021, and the Surgical Specialty Lead for Colorectal Research at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. She has been awarded a Senior Fellowship from the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government, and was the chief investigator for the Emergency Laparotomy in Frailty multicentre study, and the No-Laps follow-on study. Essentially, she is one of the leading researchers in emergency surgery in the UK, having been awarded over 1 million in grant funding for this under-researched and underfunded area.
Dossett is an associate professor and surgical oncologist at the University of Michigan. After completing her undergraduate degree at Western Kentucky University, She completed both medical school and her general surgery residency at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, during which she obtained an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality training grant as well as a Masters in Public Health during research time. Following residency, she served as an active duty staff surgeon in the US Navy for several years before pursuing surgical oncology fellowship training at Moffitt Cancer Center. In 2016 she came on to University of Michigan as faculty and has since held numerous academic leadership roles both institutionally and nationally, including vice chair for faculty development, chief of the division of surgical oncology, and president of the Surgical Outcomes Club. Dr. Dossett has an impressive portfolio of research work focusing on implementation and de-implementation of comprehensive cancer care, which is funded through multiple NIH grants. 

ECMO in Trauma with Chris Bishop

Pushing the boundaries of organ support for the most critically injured patients. Gain insights into the realm of Trauma ECMO as ASGBI trauma committee members Natalie Marzouqa, Katrina Forsythe and Anthony Thaventhiran interview Chris Bishop from the Centre for Trauma Science, London.

Endocrine Surgery with Mr Paul Dent (Consultant Endocrine Surgeon, Croydon & St. George’s Hospitals)

A walk through the career of an endocrine surgeon from training through fellowships and onto clinical management as a Consultant

Averil Mansfield Travelling Fellowship

Explore the impact of the Averil Mansfield Travelling Fellowship Award, an award for ASGBI-member non-consultant surgeons to visit top EGS centres worldwide. Honouring Professor Averil Mansfield’s legacy, this award fosters innovation, leadership, and excellence in surgical practice. Tune in to hear inspiring stories of learning and global collaboration in emergency surgery from previous recipients Oliver Ng, Hilary Brewer and Kellie Bateman with a special guest appearance from Professor Mansfield herself!