Train the Trainers

Our goal is to create a model of sustainability in conflicted countries by helping doctors strengthen their own healthcare systems. It was this thinking that led us to develop our Train the Trainers course. What if we could upskill doctors in conflict zones around the world to become skilled surgical trainers themselves, helping them to train their own peers, strengthen their own healthcare systems and support their own communities?

This November, we brought previous HEST course participants together – from regions such as Somaliland, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Syria and Palestine – to solidify their trauma surgery knowledge, while assessing and strengthening their teaching skills.

Dr Mariam Aweidah, a long-standing friend of the Foundation and participant from Palestine, said: “Being part of the David Nott Foundation family, and helping it to grow, is a privilege.”

For the first time we invited anaesthetists to the course, as part of our mission to upskill additional surgical team members in conflict zones, not just surgeons. Each participant learned how best to approach a wide range of traumatic injuries seen in war and disaster, and how to efficiently triage mass casualties.

During the triage lecture, David shared: “Showing footage of mass casualties and the chaos that can result in hospitals without proper planning and roles makes this module particularly shocking.

But it’s deliberate – it stays with you. At this point, I ask each of you, what will you do now that you’ve seen this?”

The group replied together, “make a mass casualty plan.”

Elly Nott, CEO and Co-Founder of the David Nott Foundation, said:

“It was a privilege to host 29 surgeons from across the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa at the Wellcome Collection for our 2022 Train the Trainers course.

Train the Trainers aims to expand our number of teaching faculty, enabling us to undertake more training courses and reach more areas in need.

Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine this year shocked us all, but the diverse backgrounds of our delegates remind us that dozens of conflicts demanding our attention continue to simmer worldwide. Our mission is to equip the doctors treating those affected by these conflicts with the best surgical training available, enabling them to better treat the complex injuries inflicted by war.

Initiatives like TTT demonstrate our commitment to making our training truly sustainable by empowering local surgeons with the knowledge to teach our courses. As ever, we are motivated by our belief that well-trained doctors save more lives.”