We are delighted to announce the 2026 BFIRST Essay Prize! The title for this year’s contest is “How can harnessing AI transform surgical care in resource-poor countries – for better or worse?” We are looking forward to receiving your essay until 23.59 GMT, on 1 May 2026.

Submit applications to gasocuk@gmail.com by 15th August! For more information on the GASOC Travel Grant: https://t.co/uMPwsbEJQN Join us at the GASOC Conference 2025!:

GASOC are offering ��600 for trainees who wish to travel to a resource-constrained setting for a project or volunteer placement. Please apply with your CV (2-3 pages) and a 300-word statement on why you believe the money should be allocated to you and how the funds will be used.

Join us this Saturday as Miss Hayat Nadama delivers the webinar "Beyond Good Intentions: Rethinking Global Medical Aid for sustainable Impact". Register at: https://t.co/0agybQ1Amr

Her dedication to community health and patient well-being drives her work both locally and globally.

As the former general secretary of the Ethiopian Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Professor Abebe actively contributes to professional development and collaboration within her specialty.

Professor Abebe’s passion extends beyond the operating room. She champions global surgery and equitable access to safe surgical and anaesthesia care. Through advocacy and education, she strives to elevate surgical services across Ethiopia.

In 2018, Professor Abebe achieved a historic milestone as the 1st female Plastic Surgeon from Ethiopia to earn fellowship status with the College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa.

Professor Abebe oversees 1 of Ethiopia’s 2 residency programs in Plastic Surgery, a critical role in shaping the nation’s surgical landscape.

Join us on Saturday 30th November as Professor Metasebia Worku Abebe discusses lower limb reconstruction.   Register at: https://t.co/u7P4KU4KWR Passcode: BFIRST

In the operating room, the team tackled a variety of procedures: groin flap for burn contractures, camptodactyly & syndactyly releases, nerve grafting, and more. 🩺👩‍⚕️

In the clinic, we saw familiar faces from past visits and many new patients, with cases ranging from burn contractures, brachial plexus injuries, to congenital hand and foot conditions. It was great to collaborate with our CSC colleagues on complex surgeries and follow-ups. 🌏

Day 1 in Cambodia! Our team of 12 hand surgeons, trainees, and our hand therapist arrived at the Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC) in Phnom Penh to a full waiting room this morning. The CSC team had a busy week lined up, packed with clinics, surgeries, and training sessions. 🌏

Join us on Saturday 12th October at 1pm as Mr Ragbir provides a webinar covering Head and Neck Surgery.  Webinar details:  https://t.co/tGxi3y1XiI Passcode: BFIRST

A few highlights from our London to Brighton cycle ride last weekend. We are grateful to all who participated and / or donated. The donation link is currently active - visit at: https://t.co/kblpALAMnO

Mr Ragbir is a previous examiner for the Intercollegiate FRCS (Plast). His contribution to maintaining high training standards was recognised when he was Chair of the Specialist Advisory Committee for UK plastic surgery in 2018.

He has worked closely with the Newcastle Surgical Training Centre and revolutionised the role of simulation training in surgical training locally in the North East and is the only plastic surgeon to have been made Chair of the Head and Neck training Interface group.

Mr Ragbir takes an active role in plastic surgery education, locally, nationally and more recently internationally, leading on the BFIRST project in Guyana. He has been the training Program Director for Plastic Surgery Training in the North East for eight years.

Mr Ragbir is widely published, including reconstruction following sarcoma excision. He is currently the lead clinician for the Bone and Soft Tissue Tumour Service for the North of England, which sees patients referred with rare tumours from across the northern region.

Mr Ragbir was born in Trinidad and attended medical school in Jamaica, after which he completed his Plastic Surgery training in the UK. He then took up a consultant post in the Caribbean before returning to the UK where he specialises in Head and Neck and Sarcoma reconstruction.