27th September 2023, Presidential address, ‘Made in Nottingham’-Susan Ward
Susan Ward B. Med. Sci., B.M, B.S., D.M., F.R.C.S.(Ed), F.R.C.O.G., Cert Ed.
Sue graduated from Nottingham Medical School in 1980 and started her career as an Anatomy Demonstrator at the University. She trained in general surgery and then obstetrics and gynaecology in the East Midlands and has worked at 7 of the 11 hospitals (and 6 of the GP practices) in the region between 1980 and 1998.
She has been a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist since 1998 in Mansfield.
She has been heavily involved in medical education throughout her whole consultant career, having been a College Tutor, Training Programme Director and Head of School in charge of O&G training for the East Midlands. The RCOG trainees’ committee awarded her the inaugural ‘National Trainer of the Year’ Award in 2015.
As an Associate Dean in Trent Deanery, between 2002 and 2007 she set up the Foundation Programme in the East Midlands.
She has worked for many years on the DRCOG and MRCOG examinations, both writing the questions and as an examiner, and was the Vice-Chair, then Chair of the Examination and Assessment Committee between 2015 and 2019. She has written an examination preparation book for DRCOG candidates, which is now in its third edition.
For five years she represented East Midlands Fellows on RCOG Council until being elected Vice-President for Education in 2019.
She was Vice-President for Education for three years until December 2022 and steered the training programme and the MRCOG exam through the Covid 19 pandemic.
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18th October 2023,‘Not what we signed up for’- Mr. Eddie Morris CBE
Mr. Eddie Morris CBE, Immediate Past President, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
spoke about running a College during the pandemic.
Dr Morris served as RCOG President from 2019 to 2022, providing strong professional leadership to the obstetrics and gynaecology specialty through the COVID-19 pandemic. His advocacy for pregnant women informed the UK Government’s pandemic response and the vaccination programme. As President, Dr Morris oversaw the development of RCOG COVID-19 clinical guidance used by doctors all over the world, viewed millions of times online, as well as the development of vital information for pregnant women and their families.
Dr Morris has championed an unwavering focus on patient outcomes and patient safety throughout his career, spanning roles across numerous Government, regulatory and monitoring bodies. At the RCOG, Dr Morris led the ‘Each Baby Counts’ programme, shaping the way data on adverse maternity outcomes is collected and investigated, and how families are listened to and supported when things go wrong.
Dr Morris has also made a huge contribution to improving health outcomes for women through roles in multiple voluntary and charity sector organisations, including as Trustee of the British Menopause Society, Chair of the Group B Strep Support Board of Trustees, and Chair of Baby Lifeline.
Dr Eddie Morris received the award of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours list on Saturday 17 June 2023. This award recognises the impact Dr Morris has had across his career in improving the health of women and girls, and championing their sexual and reproductive health rights, across the world.
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22nd November 2023, ‘A Portfolio Career in Medicolegal Medicine’-Dr. Rebecca Whiticar
Dr, Rebecca Whiticar MBBChir FRCEM MRCPath(ME) GDL DLM
Medical Protection Society
Dr Rebecca Whiticar has been working in the specialty of Emergency Medicine for the last 20 years. After graduating from Cambridge Clinical School, she completed her specialty training in Emergency Medicine in the Oxford Deanery before taking up her first Consultant post at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in 2013.
In 2016 after moving her Consultant Post to Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust, Rebecca started work as an Expert Witness and expanded her interest in medical law. Academically she has maintained her professional development in Law by gaining a graduate diploma in law (University of Law 2019), the Diploma of Legal Medicine (FFLM 2020) and being called to the Bar (Middle Temple Spring 2022) after completing the BPTC (UWE 2021).
Rebecca started work as a Medicolegal Consultant for Medical Protection Feb 2022. Alongside her role for Medical Protection and her Expert Witness work, she still maintains her clinical work as a substantive NHS Consultant at the Major Trauma Centre in Wales, University Hospital Wales and works as a Medical Examiner for NHS Wales.
Rebecca is passionate about educating other doctors about working as an Expert Witness and creating portfolio careers to help sustain a long career within the NHS
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6th December 2023,
‘Whose shoes?’, Bringing an Ecohouse into the hospital – Dr. Helena Clements
Dr. Helena Clements, Consultant Paediatrician, Kings Mill Hospital
Helena is a consultant paediatrician, associate medical director and climate action clinical lead at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust. Helena has lived sustainably in an eco-house for over 20 years, and in the last 5 years has been driving climate action in her professional life.
In the last 18 months Helena has been chairing the clinical advisory group for the Nottinghamshire Greener ICS Board and is now the Clinical Director for Notts Net Zero ICS. She is collaborating with the Midlands clinical senate and has been part of the RCPCH Climate Change Working Group since its inception in 2021. Dr Helena Clements was appointed RCPCH Officer for Climate Change on 2nd November 2023. The Officer for Climate Change is an exciting new role for RCPCH, and Helena will take up office for an initial period of two years.
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10th January 2024, ‘To die for?’-Dr. Rebecca Barker
Dr. Rebecca Barker, Consultant Anaesthetist, Clinical Lead, Personalised Care Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICS
Core20Plus5 Ambassador
Having trained in the Trent South region, Dr Barker started work as a Consultant Anaesthetist at Sherwood Forest Hospitals in 2016.
Here she worked as Pre-Op Lead from 2017 then in 2019 as Clinical Lead for Anaesthesia and Deputy Service Director for Anaesthesia, Theatres and Critical Care.
18 months ago she took on a role working with Nottinghamshire ICS rebuilding services post Covid pandemic.
She is a Core5plus20 ambassador and promote health inequalities, personalised care and shared decision making for patients.
She has a husband, two children ages 14 and 12, and takes advantage of living on the outskirts of the Peak District most weekends. She enjoys running, baking and travelling.
She is also a passionate feminist trying to promote equity for all.
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31st January 2024,
‘Lessons from Mesh’- Miss Ranne Thakar
Miss Ranee Thakar MD FRCOG
President of RCOG 2022 – 2025
Consultant Obstetrician and Urogynaecologist, Croydon University Hospital
Honorary Senior Lecturer, St George’s University of London.
Ranee Thakar became President of the RCOG on 9 December 2022.
She is a Consultant Obstetrician and Urogynaecologist at Croydon University Hospital and Honorary Senior Lecturer, St George’s University of London. During her time as Vice-President of the RCOG, the College collaborated with leaders from Urology and General Surgery to develop a training programme for mesh removal.
Ranee has an international profile, having been Secretary of the British Society of Urogynaecology and past President of the International Urogynecological Association. She also has an impressive academic profile with over 200 publications and led the national obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASI) Care Bundle Project. Regionally, Ranee leads the Perinatal Pelvic Health Project and Urogynaecology network for South-West London, developing multi-disciplinary collaboration with urologists, midwives, physiotherapists, nurses and GPs.
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13th March 2024
‘Are doctors bullies?’-Dr. Jo Mountfield
Dr. Jo Mountfield, Vice-President of RCOG for Workforce and Professionalism 2019 – 2022
Dr Jo Mountfield is a Consultant Obstetrician in Southampton.
Her specialisms include supporting women negotiating substance misuse in pregnancy and she is also Director of Education and Workforce at the University Hospital of Southampton. At the end of 2022, Jo demitted office as Vice President at the RCOG where she led the workforce agenda at the College including the introduction of initiatives such as the certificate of eligibility for locums in O&G, the review of the advanced and subspecialty curricula and the development of a benchmarking workforce tool, a project she has stayed on at the College to complete.
Jo has a long-standing interest in workplace behaviour. She was the first workplace behaviour advisor at the RCOG, working collaboratively with the RCM, RCSEd and other colleges to address the challenges posed by poor behaviour and has published the work she has undertaken in this area both regionally and nationally.
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17th April 2024
‘Assisted dying – the doctors’ perspective’-Dr David Bogod
Dr David Bogod
Retired anaesthetist and past president of MedChi
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26th June 2024, AGM and Electives meeting
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