Donald Osarumwense
Consultant
London / Birmingham
Gender / Preferred pronoun
Male (he/him)
Ethnicity
Black African
Particular qualities / experiences relevant for mentorship
Black, Male, CESR, Self directed training, teaching at all levels, research publications, working away from family, facing and overcoming institutional obstacles and adversity, dealing with exam failure, being black in the work place and in training.
Grades willing to mentor
All grades – Medical student / Foundation stage to early training / Registrar training to fellowship
Profile statement
I am a Consultant in Hip and Knee arthroplasty and trauma, appointed in 2021 following attaining CESR.
I have had an interesting career so far, starting as an IMG from Nigeria many moons ago and then pursuing the dream of training and succeeding in trauma and orthopaedics. The lack of diversity, especially black diversity posed its own unique challenges to making progress within the NHS and this subspecialty in particular. However what made an already difficult situation into an almost impossible task was the distinct lack of mentorship and/or the dearth of a familiar “face” all through my time of training. A lot of my colleagues fell out of love with this specialty along the way due to this problem. Thus it was an issue I promised myself I would and must change/influence in any way I can whenever I go to be a consultant. To help mentor the next generation of diverse faces because the specialty needs it.
Hence I welcome this initiative by the BHS to make these “familiar faces” more visible to the trainees coming through. It has been long overdue.
I am happy to share my experiences and the solutions I have developed along the way to overcome the obstacles (you name it, I probably have experienced it) and the disadvantages that arise from such situations.
It has taken some time, but it is doable and I am willing and ready to help you and everyone to progress and achieve your goals in trauma and orthopaedics.
Outside of orthopaedics, I enjoy music, most sports, football, cricket, F1, play squash, running, family time, catching up with friends
I’m happy to mentor through phone calls or zoom or in person.