Royal Australasian College of Surgeons

A busy day at our NSW office yesterday with our inaugural Registrar and Trainee Network Day.

This event brings together registrars and surgical Trainees for a day of connection, collaboration and professional growth.

As convener, Sydney-based vascular surgeon Dr Pecky De Silva puts it: “The workshop brings together all
the things that I wish I had known as a registrar.”

We’re delighted to see this new opportunity come to life and look forward to supporting the connections and conversations that grow from it.

Find out about other upcoming RACS events: https://www.surgeons.org/conferences-events/college-calendar-of-events

In her Surgical News message, Vice president Dr Christine Lai says RACS has a proud tradition of leading change. She reflects on the governance reforms, cultural change initiatives and strategic decisions that have strengthened the College in recent years. As RACS prepares to celebrate its centenary in 2027, she highlights how a willingness to evolve while staying true to the College's purpose has helped shape its success. That same mindset, she says, will guide RACS into its second century.
Read Surgical News: https://bit.ly/3U1gWLm

Strong advocacy starts with listening. In this issue of Surgical News, RACS president Dr Philip Morreau shares how the College is bringing together local insights, specialty expertise and evidence to advocate for surgeons, patients and communities. Drawing on feedback from more than 700 Fellows, he highlights the complexity of improving access to surgical care and the importance of practical, collaborative solutions. RACS' role is not simply to identify problems, but to help governments and health services shape a stronger future for surgical care.

Read the full article in Surgical News: https://bit.ly/4zmY2i4

Thank you to the Ministry of Health & Medical Services, Fiji for this recognition by Fijian surgeons of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons president Dr Phil Morreau. We're proud to support stronger health outcomes across the Pacific through close collaboration and meaningful partnerships.

Melbourne Rare Book Week has wrapped up, and we were delighted to welcome visitors to the RACS Museum to explore highlights from the Cowlishaw Collection, one of the College's most significant historical book collections.

Spanning centuries of medical and surgical knowledge, the collection includes landmark works that demonstrate how the past continues to inform modern surgical practice.

Visitors viewed illustrations from the work of Albucasis, the 10th-century physician often regarded as the father of operative surgery, alongside Renaissance-era texts by military surgeon Hans von Gersdorff, whose publications documented early surgical and bone-setting techniques.

Following the presentation, visitors explored the collection further and learned how RACS acquires, preserves and cares for these remarkable works. The occasion was also captured by a visiting artist, offering a contemporary perspective on a collection built on centuries of observation, learning and innovation.

Learn more about the RACS Museum, archives and rare book collections: https://www.surgeons.org/about-racs/about-the-college-of-surgeons/our-heritage-archives/collections

Surgical News shares the story of Dr Zexi Allan, recipient of the 2025 Foundation for Surgery Research Scholarship. Her research into peritoneal tumour DNA could help identify high-risk gastric and gastroesophageal cancer patients much earlier than current methods, potentially enabling more personalised treatment and better outcomes. Currently completing a PhD through the University of Melbourne and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Dr Allan says, “It means a lot to me. I feel that I am doing something meaningful in the bigger picture of patient care.”

Read the story in Surgical News: https://bit.ly/4vV1rTc

The future of surgical education starts here.

Today we are pleased to launch the RACS Surgical Pathways Strategy 2026–2030, a shared, long-term vision for the future of surgical education and training across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Surgical education is changing. Growing workforce demands, changing community expectations, evolving regulatory requirements and an increasingly complex training environment mean we must continue to adapt.

The Surgical Pathways Strategy provides a clear direction for how surgical education can evolve in partnership to:
• strengthen training
• support the surgical workforce
• deliver clearer, more cost-effective pathways for Trainees
• build stronger partnerships across the surgical community
• improve outcomes for patients, communities and the health system.

Developed through extensive consultation across the surgical community, it provides a roadmap through to 2030 for more trusted, accountable surgical education that delivers safe, high-quality care where it’s needed most.

Read the Strategy: https://tinyurl.com/SurgicalPathwaysStrategy

"One of my former patients, now aged 28, wrote to me 14 years after his treatment to say, 'This is where I am, this is what I'm doing now.' I knew him as a 13-year-old boy."

Surgical News shares the story of Professor Jonathan Karpelowsky, recipient of the prestigious John Mitchell Crouch Fellowship. Driven by a childhood loss and inspired by the patients whose lives he helps change, Professor Karpelowsky is researching liquid biopsy technology that could transform how childhood bone cancers are monitored and treated. His work aims to personalise care, detect recurrence earlier and improve outcomes for young patients.

Read his story in Surgical News: https://bit.ly/3T8uZOB