FACULTY MEMBERS
Mr Selvaraj Shanmuganathan - MBBS, MD, FRCS (CTh) Eng is a Consultant Cardiac and Mitral Surgeon at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital. He is interested in OPCAB, Full arterial vascularisation, Mini Aortic and Mini Mitral and Robotic Surgeries and AF ablation surgeries.
Mr Kelvin Lau - Mr Lau is a consultant thoracic surgeon at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. He set up the thoracic surgery service and introduced minimally invasive (both VATS and robotic) surgery and implemented an enhanced recovery programme. His specialist interests are in innovation, navigation bronchoscopy and image-guided surgery in the hybrid theatre. As a manager his interests are in team-building and delivering superspecialism at the consultant level, and integrating system specialties to remove silo mentality and take down inter-specialty barriers facing patients.
Mr Lognathen Swami - Mr Swami is a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent and Co-Director of this ST6 SCTScourse. His interests include Mitral valve reconstructive surgery, Valve sparing aortic root surgery and complex aortic surgery, Off-pump Coronary artery bypass grafting and minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting.
Mr Steven Woolley - Mr Wooley is a consultant thoracic surgeon at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital since 2010. Prior to this he did his surgical training in the West Midlands and at University of Washington, Seattle before doing an advanced VATS fellowship in Edinburgh. He has a keen interest in minimally invasive surgery as well as training and education. He is currently TPD for cardiothoracic surgery for the Northwest and Chairman of the SCTS Thoracic Committee
Mr Michael Ghosh - Mr Ghosh is a Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at St. Thomas’ Hospital, London. Clinical interests are in arterial revascularisation, major aorto-vascular surgery, Ross procedure.
Michael Shackcloth - Mr Shackcloth is a Consultant Thoracic Surgeon at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, one of the biggest Thorcacic Surgical Units in the UK. His specialist interests include thoracic malignancies and minimally invasive thoracic surgery including VATS and Robotic lobectomy. He graduated from Manchester University in 1994 and completed his basic surgical training in Manchester. He moved to Liverpool for his cardiothoracic training and was appointed a consultant at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital in 2007. He is a board member of the British Association of Surgical Oncology and Associate Editor of the European Journal of Surgical Oncology.
Moninder Bhabra - A Consultant in Adult Cardiac Surgery, Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust with special interest in mitral valve and AF surgery.
Omar Nawaytou MBBCh, MSc, MD, FRCS(C-Th) - Mr Nawaytou is a Consultant Cardiac and Aortic Surgeon, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital , NIHR Research Scholars Programme Fellow, NW CRN. SCTS Ionescu Travelling Consultant Fellow, Montreal Heart Institute. Previous SCTS Ethicon fellow in AV repair, Hôpital Universitaires St. Luc , Brussels ( Prof El- Khoury). Previous HRUK fellow in Aorto-vascular surgery, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital. Subspecialist interest: Aortic valve and root repair, Ross procedure, throraco-abdominal aortic surgery.
Silviu Buderi - Mr Buderi has been a Consultant Thoracic Surgeon at Royal Brompton Hospital since 2020. He has completed a research degree in surgical skills and sciences, focusing on surgical training and simulation. His specialist interests include minimally invasive surgery, including robotics surgery; lung, mediastinal, and chest wall malignancy comprising a close relationship with Royal Marsden Hospital for sarcoma and germ cell tumours' surgical management.
Peter Tcherveniakov MD MRCS - Mr Tcherveniakov who works as a thoracic surgery consultant in St. James’s University Hospital in Leeds. He has occupied the post since 2015. He has completed a research degree in lung cancer genomics. He has previously worked in the Lancashire Cardiac Centre (Blackpool) and Wythenshawe Hospital (Manchester). He specializes in minimally invasive surgery such as VATS, navigational bronchoscopy and endobronchial management of COPD. Peter has a long-standing commitment to teaching. He is faculty on several training courses, including one of the oldest running VATS courses worldwide - The Leeds Advanced VATS Course. He is a recognized trainer within the Yorkshire deanery.
Mr George Asimakopoulos - Mr Asimakopoulos is a consultant cardiac surgeon at the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London. He previously worked at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, trained in London and completed his PhD at Imperial College. His surgical practice includes aortic surgery, endocarditis, sutureless aortic valve replacement and off-pump CABG. His research interests include aortic dissection, sutureless prosthetic valves and training in cardiac surgery. He has been Educational Supervisor at the Royal Brompton Hospital, SCTS course faculty member since 2014 and SCTS surgical tutor.
Mr Sunil Bhudia - Mr Bhudia is a Consultant Cardiac Surgeon and Director of Surgery in the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Associate Clinical Professor Warwick Medical School. He qualified in pharmacology with basic medical science at University College London.(UCL) in 1994. He continued his medical training at UCL in 1996. He undertook research towards his thesis at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio, USA in 2001. In 2004, he returned to the UK to specialise in cardiothoracic surgery. He became a consultant in cardiac surgery at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust in 2009. He joined Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust in February 2016. He became Director of Surgery at Harefield Hospital in 2018. He is an Honorary Associate Clinical Professor at Warwick Medical School. He is the Clinical Tutor for Society for Cardiothoracic Surgeons, Surgical Tutor for Royal College of Surgeons and sits on the Cardiothoracic Training committee for London and the Cardiothoracic Specialty Advisory Committee. He has interests in cutting edge cardiac surgery, virtual reality and mixed reality in cardiac surgery and teaching, human factors, team working and cardiac modelling.
Mr Graham Cooper - Mr Cooper is a consultant cardiac surgeon in Sheffield since 1996. He practices adult cardiac surgery with an interest in aortic surgery. He graduated from University of Leeds 1984.He trained in London, Yorkshire and Paris. He completed his FRCS(C/Th) and MD in 1994.He is the past president of SCTS. He has served the SCTS as elected trustee, meeting secretary and honorary secretary. He is an Examiner for JCIE.
Mr Uday Dandekar (M.S, M.Ch, FRCS (Edin & Glas),FRCSEd (CTh) - Mr Dandekar graduated from Medical school in Mumbai, India and specialised in cardiothoracic surgery after training in India, UK and the USA. In the UK he worked at centres like, the Harefield Hospital and went through the West Midlands training programme. He spent time doing clinical work, at the world renowned Cleveland Clinic under the chairmanship of Dr. Delos Cosgrove. Mr. Dandekar works as a Consultant adult cardiac surgeon at the University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire. He has special interest in coronary artery disease, arterial grafting, beating heart surgery and major aortic surgery. He is an Educational and clinical supervisor for the west midlands deanery. He has been a SCTS course faculty member since 2013 and was a Non NTN lead for SCTS until year 2020.
Ms Deborah Harrington MD FRCS CTh - is Co-Education Secretary for the SCTS and a consultant cardiac and aortic surgeon at Liverpool Heart & Chest Hospital, appointed in 2013. She has a special interest in major aortic surgery having been the first Ethicon SCTS Aortic Fellow in 2012. She completed an MD in cerebral protection in thoracic aortic surgery in Birmingham followed by training in cardiothoracic surgery in the West Midlands and Middlesbrough. Deborah has developed and run the Heart Research UK Aortic Masterclasses since 2013 and also worked with the ‘Think Aorta’ campaign to increase diagnosis and awareness of aortic dissection. She has been a SCTS course faculty member since 2015 and is currently SCTS surgical tutor.
Mr Dheeraj Mehta MD FRCS CTh - Mr Mehta is a Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, appointed in 2003, following training in London, Bristol and Sydney, Australia. He holds the local position of Lead Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Training Programme Director for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Wales, and is a member of the Cardiothoracic SAC. Other than training, his surgical interests include OPCAB, arterial revascularisation, mitral repair, minimally invasive and sutureless aortic valve replacement. He has been an SCTS Course Faculty member since 2014.
Bob Slight - Mr Slight is a consultant thoracic surgeon at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne. His specialist interests include thoracoscopic lobectomy and general thoracic surgery. Academically he is affiliated with the population health sciences institute at Newcastle University and is the specialist group lead for surgery with the NIHR clinical research network north east & north Cumbria.”
Dr Shobhit Baijal - Mr Baijal is a Consultant Medical Oncologist based at The University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust. He actively treats lung and colorectal cancer patients at the Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull sites. He specialises in all forms of cancer drug treatment including chemotherapy, immuno-oncology, precision oncology and chemo-embolisation. Dr Baijal has a large clinical trial portfolio and is UK Chief Investigator and Principle Investigator for national and international clinical trials. He is at the forefront of the clinical utility of liquid biopsy in managing lung and colorectal cancer patients and has several studies underway in this context. He has numerous publications and regularly presents at regional, national and international cancer meetings. He is on the BTOG Steering Committee also sits on the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation advisory panel.
Iain Au-Yong - Mr Au-Yong is a Consultant Thoracic and Head and neck radiologist at Nottingham University Hospitals. He has a strong interest in medical education and is a current examiner for the final FRCR and previously was an examiner for the Anatomy Part 1 examination. He teaches and lectures to a wide range of colleagues in a range of different specialities and is heavily involved with the delivery of radiology education locally. He has written a couple of educational textbooks and developed several popular online teaching resources.
Sarah Murray - Sarah is the lay member of the SCTS Executive Committee. She is a lawyer by training. She is the newly appointed Chair of the NICOR Patient Representative Group and the National Chair of the British Heart Foundation and James Lind Alliance Public and Patient Initiative Group. She is a lay member of the RCS Independent Review Mechanism (which deploys small teams of surgeons and lay members to hospitals teams when they have problematic issues): a Trustee of Dorset Mental Health Forum and has had chair and non-executive roles in NHS trusts. She has worked in and with the NHS for many years and has experience as a carer of her son who was born with a congenital heart defect. Consent and candour are close to her heart.
Hazem Fallouh - Hazem is a consultant thoracic surgeon, University Hospitals of Birmingham. He completed his training in cardiothoracic surgery from multiple centres of excellence following a PhD degree in myocardial protection/cardioplegia from King's College London. He is an inventor and entrepreneur with experience in developing and commercialising multiple inventions in the field of Cardiothoracic Surgery within the NHS and the academic sector. His has a special interest in minimally invasive thoracic surgery, clinical research, creating developing and investing in intellectual property.
Mahmoud Loubani - Mahmoud is a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust since April 2009. He is also Honorary Professor Hull York Medical School and Yorkshire, The Humber Cardiothoracic Surgery Training Programme Director, the NIHR Yorkshire and the Humber CRN Lead for Cardiothoracic Surgery and Director of Research and Development for his Trust. He is a graduate of Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Medical School and completed an MD during a period of research in Leicester before joining the West Midlands Cardiothoracic Training Programme. He has an interest in medical education and health service management. He is a fellow of the Academy of Medical Educators, Fellow of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers of RCSEd and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Narain Moorjani - Mr Moorjani is a practising cardiac surgeon at Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, where he is Clinical Lead for Cardiac Surgery. He forms part of the structural valve group and specialises in performing complex mitral valve repair surgery and minimally invasive mitral valve surgery. He has been appointed Associate Lecturer at the University of Cambridge, where he teaches in the Department of Anatomy. He has published several international best-selling, award-winning cardiac surgery textbooks, including 'Key Questions in Cardiac Surgery', 'Cardiac Surgery: Recent Advances and Techniques' and ‘Operative Mitral and Tricuspid Valve Surgery’. From an educational point of view, he has developed a unique portfolio of simulation-based, curriculum-aligned, cardiothoracic surgery training courses, which are run in Great Britain and Europe. He is currently the Honorary Secretary of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain & Ireland.
Carol Tan - Co-Education Secretary for the SCTS and a consultant thoracic surgeon who specialises in the surgical treatment of lung cancers, mesothelioma and mediastinal tumours. She has a particular interest in minimally invasive surgery, chest wall resection and reconstruction, surgery for pectus deformity, lung volume reduction surgery, pleural disease, clinical trials and research. Miss Tan qualified from the University of Bristol in 1997. Following the completion of basic surgical training she went to train in cardiothoracic surgery at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, and the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals. Her training and research was predominantly focused on thoracic surgery and she was heavily involved in the UK multi centre MARS (Mesothelioma and Radical Surgery) trial. Carol was appointed consultant thoracic surgeon at St George's Hospital in 2009.
Simon Kendall - Simon is a cardiac surgeon in Middlesbrough, having been appointed there as a mixed practice cardiothoracic surgeon in 1994. He has enjoyed training over the years and was proud to be awarded the European Da Vinci Award by EACTS in 2012 as best trainer. He accepted this on behalf of the department that has created the training environment. He is an examiner for the specialty exam since 2011 and served on the Specialty Advisory Committee for Cardiothoracic Surgery 2012 - 17. He is the current SCTS President, having been Honorary Secretary 2013-18 and Meetings Secretary 2008 – 2012.
Richard Page - the past President of SCTS. He is a Consultant Thoracic Surgeon, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (LHCH) since 1994. He was the CT Surgery representative, Council, RCS(Eng) and CT Surgery representative, Invited Review Mechanism Oversight Group, RCS(Eng) between 2018 and 2020. He has been a Medical Inspector for the Care Quality Commission and the Thoracic surgery speciality lead for the NHS Ombudsman. He was an Associate Medical Director as well as Clinical Lead for Thoracic and Upper GI Surgery at LHCH. Richard has been an Examiner and Examiner Assessor for CT Surgery, Joint Committee on Intercollegiate Examinations. He has served the SCTS as Elected Trustee and Thoracic Surgery Audit Lead. He has been the Chair, Thoracic Surgery Clinical Reference Group, Specialised Commissioning, NHS England.
Richard Steyn - Richard is a consultant thoracic surgeon at University Hospitals Birmingham and is an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Warwick. He was previously a National Clinical Lead for Cancer Modernisation and National Clinical Lead for Demand, Capacity and Patient Flow for NHS Improvement. He has been a Clinical Director, Associate Medical Director, Divisional Director and Deputy Medical Director at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust and following merger has been a Deputy Medical Director and currently Medical Director at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. His portfolio includes leadership development, serious incident investigations and governance, MHPS investigations and quality improvement. He is currently providing medical leadership support as part of the Improvement Alliance between Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.