Being the STARSurg regional lead in Nottingham for COMPASS, over the past year had its highs and lows. It’s safe to say, the best part about being a regional lead is getting to know so many surgeons and junior doctors, working alongside them to ensure the study was completed successfully. This opens up many more opportunities for you personally in research as the consultants are able to involve you in future research (which I have already reaped the benefits of!) 

That’s not to say it’s all smooth sailing, especially at the beginning where you need to advertise the study to medical students/juniors to get interest and organising the approval of the right paperwork at the hospitals, all of which can be fairly laborious. Having said that, the Steering Committee were always on hand to offer guidance whenever I ran into a difficult situation, so I felt very supported throughout. It also was definitely worth the time I spent in order to achieve the smooth running of the project overall.

Overall, I think becoming the STARSURG regional lead has been one of the best decisions I have made in medical school, as it has hugely increased my confidence, organisation and networking abilities, as well as opportunity to present high quality work, locally and/or nationally.