News

A pioneering professor – dubbed ‘the world’s most watched surgeon’ – will be the keynote speaker at our conference in May.

Professor Shafi Ahmed – famed for his innovative use of technology to teach during surgery – will address our Transforming Lives Through Innovation Conference at Cloth Hall Court, Leeds, on Thursday 9 May.

Prof Ahmed – Consultant General, Laparoscopic and Colorectal Surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust; Lecturer in Surgery at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry; and Honorary Professor at The University of Bradford – became the first surgeon to use technology to help surgical learning.

He transported 13,000 people from 115 countries directly into the operating theatre at The Royal London Hospital. The students were able to type questions as they watched the surgery, with their queries appearing on Prof Ahmed’s glasses as he operated.

The Transforming Lives Through Innovation Conference will feature workshops focused on key NHS priorities including patient safety, mental health and public and patient involvement. There will also be a marketplace with around 30 trade stands, giving delegates the chance to engage with some of the latest technologies revolutionising healthcare.

During the conference the 12 organisations selected to take part in Propel@YH – Yorkshire and Humber’s first digital health accelerator programme – will be announced.

Our CEO Richard Stubbs said: “We’re extremely proud to have secured such a high-profile and globally-respected speaker as Professor Ahmed for our flagship conference and look forward to listening to what we believe will be an extremely motivational and thought-provoking address.

“Professor Ahmed’s mission to merge the world of medicine, global education and virtual and augmented reality to scale surgical education and make it affordable and accessible to everyone is truly revolutionary.”

He added: “This is an extremely important time for healthcare and life sciences in the North. Our conference will be a valuable forum for NHS colleagues and industry innovators to come together to discuss how we can work together to meet the challenges of the NHS Long Term Plan, introduce exciting new innovations and continue to deliver the work we have underway to improve the health and prosperity of our region.”

To register for the conference please use this link