Health Care Innovation and Technology



Overview

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:

  1. Minimally-invasive surgery
  2. Imaging, virtual reality and augmented reality
  3. Big data, genomics and artificial intelligence
  4. 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.

The modest class size allows most sessions to be interactive. The week includes a visit to Intuitive and exposure to surgical robots and virtual reality simulation. During the week teams will put together a case for an innovation and finish the week with a pitching session and 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 Faculty have included (programme can vary)

  • Anant Jani, working within the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences
  • Jim Gabriel, director of The Hill, which is an innovation catalyst, embedded within Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Katrina Mason, London Digital Pioneer Fellow. Her project involves the application and development of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
  • Umar Taj, founder of Nudgeathon™,
  • Jeremy Rodrigues, Associate Professor at the Warwick Clinical Trials unit and Consultant Hand and Plastic Surgeon at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
  • Jennifer Lane, NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer at Barts
  • Nick de Pennington, CEO and Founder of Ufonia - an Oxford start-up that is developing autonomous telemedicine.
  • Constantin Coussios, OrganOx Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer
  • Rachel Grovenor, Assistant Licensing & Ventures Manager at OUI
  • Michael Richard, heads Insight Surgery’s Engineering Department
  • Megan Morys-Carter, Programme Director of The Hill

 

Programme details

This course can be taken:

Venue

This course will be held at the Department for Continuing Education, Rewley House, Oxford, with a day spent at one of Oxford's hospital sites.

Certification

Short course participants who do not wish to undertake the assessed work required for academic credit but who do satisfy the course attendance requirements will receive a certificate of attendance.

Those successfully completing the course for credit can request a CATS point transcript.

Fees

Description Costs
Returning Students - MSc in Surgical Science and Practice 23-24 £2250.00
Returning Students enrolled on PG Cert in Patient Safety 23-24 £2250.00
Short course in Surgical Science and Practice £2890.00
Students enrolled on the MSc in Surgical Science and Practice £2340.00
Students enrolled on the PG Cert in Patient Safety £2340.00

Funding

Potential sources of funding for courses in Surgical Science and Practice.

Details of funding opportunities including grants, bursaries and scholarships are available on our sources of funding page.

Payment

The course fee includes:

  • Tuition
  • Course materials
  • A day at one of Oxford's hospital sites to use the surgical simulator
  • Refreshments and a three-course lunch on each day of the course
  • Access to the following University of Oxford libraries and services:
    • Radcliffe Science Library
    • Rewley House Continuing Education Library
    • Bodleian Libraries e-Resources
  • Access to facilities from the Department for Continuing Education, including:
    • The Graduate School
    • Canvas virtual learning environment
    • Wi-fi access through Oxford Wireless LAN (OWL).

Stand Alone fees for March 2024 have not yet been confirmed. 

Tutors

Dr Matthew Gardiner

Module Coordinator

Matt Gardiner is a Consultant Hand and Plastic Surgeon and Associate Medical Director for Research and Innovation at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. He is also Honorary Departmental Senior Research Fellow at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford. Here his research interests include surgical trials and device innovation for the treatment of common hand conditions. He co-founded the Reconstructive Surgery Trials Network and is the RCS Surgical Specialty Lead for Plastic and Hand Surgery trials. He has successfully commercialised a hand surgery system and holds a patent for a new device to treat thumb base osteoarthritis.

Mr Ryan Kerstein

Co Module Lead

Ryan Kerstein is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Associate Medical Director of Research and Innovation at Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire, an NHS Clinician Entrepreneur Fellow and the Technology Editor and Writer for the Royal College of Surgeon (Eng) Bulletin journal. 

Ryan has been involved in medical Innovation for the last 17 years, including founding his own healthcare start-ups. His first, ASep Healthcare Ltd, was setup in 2004 to commercialise Tournistrip, a single-use tourniquet Ryan designed as a student. They have sold over 60 million Tournistrips in 30 countries. More recently, during the COVID pandemic, Ryan was a Co-Founder of WeShare.Healthcare, a social enterprise to rapidly share clinical innovation to help unlock NHS services. Ryan is also an advisor to several start-ups in the healthcare sector.

Assessment methods

Assessment will be based on submission of a set written assignment, not exceeding 4,000 words. The assessment is only undertaken by those taking the course for academic credit.

Academic credit

Those wishing to may apply to take the course with accreditation. The University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education offers Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS) points for the course. Participants attending at least 70% of the taught course and successfully completing assessed assignments are eligible to earn credit equivalent to 20 CATS-equivalent points which may be counted towards a postgraduate qualification.

Application

Application deadline: four weeks before the commencement of the course.

We strongly recommend that you download and save files before completing to ensure that all your changes are saved.

This course requires you to complete and submit the application form below and a copy of your CV. If you are applying to take this course for academic credit you will also need to complete section two of the reference form and forward it to your referee for completion. Please note that if you are not applying to take the course for academic credit then you do not need to submit a reference.

Please ensure you read the guidance notes before completing the application form, as any errors resulting from failure to do so may delay your application.

Places on the course are limited, so early application is strongly recommended. Once we have received your completed application it will be considered by the admissions panel.

This course is part of the MSc in Surgical Science and Practice. If you would like to apply for the MSc in Surgical Science and Practice please visit the programme page.

Selection criteria

To apply for this course you should:

  • hold a primary qualification in medicine recognised by the GMC and the MRCS, or an equivalent diploma in basic surgical training and education degree in the case of overseas candidates
  • currently occupy or have occupied a training or service post at ST1 level or above (UK candidates), or provide evidence of basic surgical training including a logbook (overseas candidates)
  • possess an entry level qualification for specialist training in surgery, e.g. MRCS or international equivalent
  • show evidence of several years of accumulated practical surgical training
  • be able to combine intensive classroom learning with the application of the principles and practices within the work place
  • demonstrate a suitable level of English (if this is not your first language).

Accommodation

Accommodation is available at the Rewley House Residential Centre, within the Department for Continuing Education, in central Oxford. The comfortable, en-suite, study-bedrooms have been rated as 4-Star Campus accommodation under the Quality In Tourism scheme, and come with tea- and coffee-making facilities, free Wi-Fi access and Freeview TV. Guests can take advantage of the excellent dining facilities and common room bar, where they may relax and network with others on the programme.

IT requirements

This course uses the Department’s online assignment submission system and online courseware. In order to participate in the course, and to prepare and submit your course assignments you will need access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended minimum computer specification. Students of this course may use the student computing facilities provided in Departmental buildings.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support