OUR 2025/26 COMMITTEE
Senior Co-Lead
Ieva Jakaityte
I am a Specialised Foundation Doctor at Southmead Hospital, Bristol, and will soon be starting an Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) in ENT in Birmingham. I am passionate about perioperative research and enjoy using data science methods to gain insights from routinely collected data. My first involvement with STARSurg was through the ASiT x STARSurg x RSM UKFPO survey. Through this experience, I learned how individual contributions can be amplified within a high-performing collaborative team. I am excited to build on STARSurg’s achievements by helping to expand into new study designs and creating further opportunities for collaborators to engage in high-quality research.
Senior Co-Lead
Moritz Steinruecke
I am a final-year medical student at the University of Cambridge with an interest in intensive care medicine. I strongly believe that large cohort studies have the potential to inform perioperative care and that STARSurg has the capacity to deliver this research. I look forward to working with all members of our collaborative.
Senior Advisor
Daoud Chaudhry
I am an FY2 doctor at Royal Stoke University Hospital. I’ve been involved with COVIDSurg over the past few years as part of the operations committee and this has really helped me realise the power of collaborative research. I have a particular interests in global surgery, spinal surgery, and data science.
Network Lead
Luke Mattey
I am an F1 doctor in Wales with an intercalated BSc in Biomedical Sciences (Anatomy). My interests lie in plastics and head and neck surgery. I first became involved with STARSurg when developing my research skills through the INCEPT e-learning platform which lead to a coordinating role in the CLARITY randomised controlled trial. I am committed to empowering medical students with strong research skills, recognising that a solid foundation in research not only bolsters professional development but also drives the innovations that elevate patient care.
Education Lead
Donovan Campbell
I am a final year medical student from Queen’s University Belfast. I am passionate about cardiothoracic surgery, academic surgery and medical education. I became involved in STARSurg as a collaborator for APOLLO then as Regional Lead before joining the Steering Committee. I am looking forward to working with such a great committee, promoting collaborative perioperative research and enhancing evidence-based medicine!
Data Lead
Wee Han Ng
I am a 4th-year medical student from Bristol and have completed a MPhil in Population Health Sciences in Cambridge. I got to know STARSurg through the GRANULE course, and joined STARSurg as the Bristol Regional Lead for the CLARITY trial. I have interests in academic surgery, oncology and data science. I hope to encourage more students to participate in high-impact research and pursue a career in surgery.
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Amanda Godoi
I am a final year medical student at Cardiff University, having previously intercalated in Medical Education. With a passion for surgery, teaching and research, I aspire to pursue an academic surgical career. Having lived in Brazil, Vietnam, and Mozambique, I value cultural exchange and see innovation as pivotal in advancing surgical practices.
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Hamzah Ahmin
I am an incoming Specialised Foundation Programme doctor working in the North West of England. I have been working with STARSurg since my second year of medical school, having been involved in the CASCADE and APOLLO studies. Currently, I work on the data team, where I am responsible for data visualisation. I also have a formal background in working with data, having completed an MSc in Health Data Science. My research interests include collaborative research projects, osteoporosis, and fragility fracture research.
Balamrit Singh Sokhal
I am an academic FY2 based at Royal Stoke University Hospital. My main research interest is using big data for epidemiology and outcomes research. I have additional interests in meta-analysis, prognostic modelling and clinical education. I was first involved in STARSurg’s APOLLO study as regional lead. Through the steering committee, I hope to contribute to impactful, collaborative research and to resources to develop aspiring clinical academics.
Jungwoo Kang
I am a fourth year medical student at the University of Aberdeen. I first got involved with STARSurg through the APOLLO Project. I am interested in orthopaedic and urological surgery and I hope to share my passion for collaborative surgical research.
Louise Ko
I’m a final year medical student at University College Dublin, with an MSc by research. I first became involved with STARSurg as a Regional Lead in Dublin (UCD) before joining the Steering Committee. I am particularly interested in surgical trials and qualitative research.
Ivan Abbott
Medical student at the University of Birmingham, currently intercalating in MSci Clinical Anatomy. I’m especially interested in surgery, neurosurgery, trauma and academic medicine, and I’m involved in research, teaching, leadership, and a range of local and national collaborative projects. I’m really excited to be part of STARSurg and to be able to contribute to future collaborative projects and educational resources.
Krisada Ooi
I am a 4th-year medical student at The University of Edinburgh with a strong interest in global surgery and collaborative research. My involvement with STARSurg began through engaging with the INCEPT e-learning platform. With experience as both a steering committee member and collaborator in international multicentre studies, I hope to support and empower fellow students to contribute to high-impact collaborative research that has the potential to improve patient care.
Andy Chooi
I am a second-year medical student at University College London and an incoming intercalating student in Maths, Computers and Medicine. My interests are in ENT, neurosurgery, and head & neck surgery, with a particular focus on surgical data science and applying machine learning approaches to improve patient outcomes. I am currently part of the committee data team and hope to further promote collaborative research.
