The recent pace of innovation in healthcare is unprecedented. Rapid advances in many fields promise to disrupt current surgical care.
The recent “Future of Surgery” report, from the Royal College of Surgeons, considered the changes that are occurring and how they will impact on patients, surgeons and the health service over the next 20 years. The Commission identified four areas that will have the greatest impact:
- Minimally-invasive surgery
- Imaging, virtual reality and augmented reality
- Big data, genomics and artificial intelligence
- Specialised interventions (e.g. 3D bioprinting, nano-surgery, artificial organs)
The Healthcare Innovation and Technology course provides insight into these different areas of innovation and explores both the challenges and opportunities they provide. Students will develop an understanding of the innovation pathway and develop translatable skills in idea generation, needs analysis, evaluation of innovation, developing a business case and pitching it. Students will also explore the challenges to adapting to new innovations in their day to day practice.
The course is offered by the Nuffield Department of Surgical Science and Department for Continuing Education, The taught week is led by Mr Matthew Gardiner, supported by Dr Lauren Morgan and Mr Nicholas de Pennington.
The modest class size allows most sessions to be interactive. The week includes a hospital visit and exposure to surgical robots and virtual reality simulation. During the week teams will put together a case for an innovation and have the opportunity to pitch the idea and gain feedback. The groups will also explore aspects of coping with innovation and introducing innovations to the healthcare environment.
Tutors are available for mentoring and some offer topics for the main dissertation. The course is supported by a virtual learning environment with course material made available in advance.
The Healthcare Innovation and Technology course has a large faculty drawing on expertise from across academia, healthcare and business.
Previous guest speakers have included:
- Professor Barbara Braden, Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Frankfurt/Main, Germany; Consultant Gastroenterologist, Oxford
- Mr Philip Charlesworth, Consultant Urological Surgeon
- Alexandra Cope, Deputy Tutor in Surgery at Oxford School of Surgery; Clinical Simulation Fellow
- Professor Constantin Coussios, Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Professorial Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford
- Professor Peter Friend, Professor of Transplantation and Consultant Transplant and HPB Surgeon; Director of Oxford Transplant Centre
- Professor Richie Gill, Professor of Healthcare Engineering, University of Bath
- Professor Fergus Gleeson, Professor of Radiology, Oxford
- Mr Alex Green, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, Oxford
- Professor Chris Johnson, Professor of Computing Science, University of Glasgow
- Douglas Hartley, Consultant ENT Surgeon & Associate Professor in Otolaryngology, University of Nottingham
- Dr Markus Groppe, Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology
- Matthew Lawrence, Head of Business Development at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Professor Freddie Hamdy, Head of Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences; Nuffield Professor of Surgery; Professor of Urology
- Professor Rutger Ploeg, Professor of Transplant Biology; Director of Clinical and Translational Research
- Mr Mark Sullivan, Consultant Urological Surgeon, Oxford
- Mr Ben Turney, Clinical Lecturer in Urology, Oxford; awarded American College of Surgeons International Travelling Fellowship for 2014
- Dr Raman Uberoi, Consultant Radiologist, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford
