We’re proud to say we’re not the only student-led research collaborative network out there! We’ve helped to support the establishment of two sister collaborative networks: EuroSurg (Europe) and TASMAN (Australia and New Zealand).
We’ve joined forces on our last few projects (APOLLO, CASCADE, COMPASS, RECON and IMAGINE) to help make these even bigger and better. If you’re based in those regions – get in touch with them! If not, why not consider forming your own network to bring the research to you!
GlobalSurg Collaborative/COVIDSurg Collaborative
We also work closely with the GlobalSurg Collaborative, which was cofounded along with STARSurg but targeted specifically towards improving the of patients undergoing surgery in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This lead to the establishment of the NIHR Global Surgery Unit which conducts numerous clinical trials and studies – with a collaborative approach remaining at the core (all contributors continuing to receive equal recognition).
Many of our current STARSurg committee and alumni were also involved in running the COVIDSurg Collaborative, with collected data on over 50,000 patients undergoing surgery over the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
If you’re based in those regions – get in touch with them!
Other Affiliated Groups
National Research Collaborative (NRC)
Since the trainee research collaborative model was first introduced in 2009, it has progressed from being the ‘new kid on the block’ to a cornerstone of the academic landscape across the UK and Ireland. This has been helped by the formation of the National Research Collaborative (NRC), the umbrella organisation of over 40 trainee-led collaborative groups across surgical, anaesthetic and medical specialties.
We’re delighted to be a part, having been the first student-led research collaborative out there! There’s a National Research Collaborative Meeting each year that you’ll usually see us helping support student-focussed content for.
Association of Surgeons in Training (ASiT)
ASiT is a trainee association in the UK and Ireland covering all ten surgical specialties. But ASiT isn’t just for trainees – plenty of students get involved in their various training courses, grants, and prizes. They have a medical student representative on the council, and a whole network of regional student ambassadors – they’ve done some great work advocating for better surgical coverage in the undergraduate curriculum.
In previous years, we have delivered student-focussed events at the annual ASiT conference (including our GRANULE course as an official pre-conference course in 2020), and sponsor the medical student prize session. Well worth getting involved as a member!
Royal Colleges of Surgery
Over the years, we’ve been hugely grateful to the support from the Royal Colleges of Surgery over the years. We’ve been delighted to have several presidents speak at our events, and the RCSEng and RSCEd have kindly allowed us to host our national events in some pretty illustrious surroundings!