CULTURE & DIVERSITY WORKING GROUP

Culture & Diversity Committee

The BHS Culture and Diversity Committee was established in 2020 to investigate matters of culture and diversity, as they affect BHS membership and those outside the BHS, and to advise the Executive Committee on these issues.

The Working Group aims to promote an inclusive and diverse culture within the British Hip Society and to project the BHS values of inclusivity to those outside the Society.

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WORKING GROUP MEMBERS

Joanna Maggs

BIO

Naomi Gibbs

BIO

Sarah Eastwood

BIO

BONITA TSANG

BIO

HANI ABDUL-JABAR

KHALID MALIK

LIZ SMITH

HUSSAIN KAZI

Aava Param

Hariharan Subbiah Ponniah

Sophie Donoghue

Challenging discriminatory behaviour

We are aware that several surveys conducted by both the BHS and other orthopaedic societies suggest systemic cultural and workplace behavioural issues in Orthopaedics. This workstream is aimed at attempting to address some of those issues. Often, as a bystander, colleagues feel unable to tackle discrimination or know how report discriminatory behaviour in the work place.

We are aiming to develop a workplace tool kit, in collaboration with the civility saves lives campaign, to help support the change towards positive workplace culture, to help strengthen skills and confidence when witnessing poor workplace behaviours and promote positive work place behaviour.

We also hope to release a short video tackling some challenging workplace behaviour.

schools engagement proJECT

The BHS C&D committee Schools Engagement Programme aims to support the widening of participation with respect to socioeconomic groups in medical and surgical careers.  We ran our inaugural annual Schools Engagement Session at the BHS meeting in Edinburgh 2023 which was very well received by pupils, faculty and our session industry sponsors Heraeus and Corin.  We are collaborating with the BOA, BOMSA and the BOA/ BOTA Culture & Diversity Champions to run a similar session at BOA Congress in 2023. We are in the process of organising a toolkit with which to support members in visiting their local schools.

For more information and photos please link HERE for the related article in the Journal of Trauma and Orthopaedics.

PREVIOUS GROUP MEMBERS

Kathryn Gill

Samantha Hook

Samantha Tross

Shivam Kohle

Sam Jain

Jonathan Howell

Kat Dayanandra

David Sochart

MARIETA

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Joanna Maggs

CHAIR

I studied medicine at University College London. (An institution where, two generations previously, my Grandmother was offered 1 of only 4 places for women, with the proviso that women could only proceed to clinical studies if they came in the top 10 % of the year)! I decided to pursue a career in Orthopaedics while a PRHO at the Whittington, and, after a stint in Australia, undertook basic surgical training in Brighton, followed by specialist training on the Bristol rotation. I then completed arthroplasty fellowships in Exeter and a trauma fellowship in Bristol. I am now a Consultant Orthopaedic surgeon in Torbay where my practice includes primary and revision hip arthroplasty and trauma.

I have done substantial research into the benefits of diverse teams, and believe strongly that workplaces in which surgeons from all backgrounds feel included are ones in which we all thrive. As a profession we have a responsibility to create this culture. I was elected as Chair of the culture and diversity committee last March having been part of the team since its inception. I am incredibly proud of the work we have done as a team: setting up the mentorship scheme, challenging stereotypes, working with medical students and state school children and making our annual meeting more welcoming!

Outside work I am married with two young daughters, and a whippet puppy called Clash. 

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Naomi Gibbs

My name is Naomi, and I started my speciality training in 2017 in the East Midlands South rotation. I took time out of training to do a PhD, looking at blood conservation in arthroplasty and I am pleased to say I have finally completed the PhD this summer. I am currently on maternity leave, but when I return to work I will start an Academic Clinical Lectureship (ACL) with Oxford University, where I hope to continue this research.

I am a mother to two boys (the most recent being this August 2023) and am wife to another orthopod. I enjoy family time, travelling (where possible with two young children!) and cooking. I feel very proud to be part of the BHS Culture and Diversity committee and of the achievements of the committee so far. The BHS C&D committee has worked hard to be more inclusive of people like myself and others, who perhaps previously felt marginalised from the society. I have now met many inspiring people on the committee and within the society, which has cemented my ambition to become a hip surgeon and I hope to be able to play my part in the future and to inspire the next generation of hip surgeons.

I am currently working on the challenging discriminatory behaviour workstream, video biography series and medical school engagement programme. I would be very happy for anyone who might want to find out more or get involved to please get in touch!

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Sarah Eastwood

I am a consultant T&O surgeon in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. My  subspecialty interests are in primary hip and knee arthroplasty, revision hip arthroplasty and trauma. I am the Hip fracture lead within my trust.  I have been  a member of the BHS C&D committee since its inception, being part of the team to establish the mentorship programme.