Mr Sam Whitaker
Date of Fellowship: August 2022 to August 2023
Current Appointment(s): Locum Consultant Surgeon (Hip and Knee Arthroplasty), Swansea.
Biography:
I completed my medical degree at Brighton & Sussex Medical School in 2009, Foundation Programme and Core Surgical Training in South Thames and Kent, Surrey and Sussex respectively, while also completing a 1 year anatomy demonstrator post at BSMS.
I subsequently undertook my Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery training in the North Yorkshire rotation, obtaining my CCT in 2020.
Following this I completed a 1 year fellowship in lower limb reconstruction based at the Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto, Canada, before embarking on Professor Middleton’s hip fellowship.
After completing my current fellowship I am due to start a consultant post in Swansea specialising in hip and knee arthroplasty.
Comments on time as Prof Middleton (ORI) Fellow:
My time as a fellow working for Professor Middleton and the hip team has been immensely valuable in developing my hip arthroplasty clinical and surgical skills, as well as further developing professional skills and equipping me with experience and training to support my transition to a consultant post.
Professor Middleton’s fellowship has provided an excellent balance of independent operating opportunities alongside direct observation and training in more challenging cases such as revision procedures or periprosthetic fracture fixation. I’ve appreciated the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of a number of innovative programmes Professor Middleton has developed, including the mass outpatient clinic service at Dorset Health Village and the CHAIN cycling programme for hip arthritis patients.
Attending weekly sessions at the Orthopaedic Research Institute has provided the opportunity to continue to engage in orthopaedic research, including involvement in large multi-centre orthopaedic implant clinical trials.
I would thoroughly recommend the fellowship to any developing hip surgeon, and am grateful for the mentorship, training and support provided by Professor Middleton, Mr Gallagher and Mr Kent.