Ms Nortley delivered the annual Moynihan Lecture - 'Enabling or protecting? A review of medical practitioner tribunals involving sexual misconduct' - at the ASGBI International Surgical Congress, held in Brighton from 12 -14 May 2026.
Her research has received widespread national recognition in both medical publications, including the BMJ and The Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and mainstream media outlets such as the BBC, The Times, Channel 4, The Observer, and Woman’s Hour.
The work has helped shape new national guidance on the implementation of Medical Practitioner Tribunals, contributing to reforms designed to improve fairness, accountability, and workplace safety for women across the medical profession.
Commenting on the award, Ms Nortley said: ‘It was an honour and a privilege to receive the Royal College of Surgeons of England Moynihan Lectureship and Medal on behalf of an exceptional team. It meant everything to have co-authors Frances Dixon (first author) and Roshneen Ali alongside me as I presented our work on medical practitioner tribunal outcomes in sexual misconduct.
'The issues we raise in our work - and the wider context surrounding them - affect all of us. Until we have robust processes within our regulatory systems, we will continue to experience a lack of psychological and institutional safety in our workplaces. I encourage colleagues to engage with this work, which has important implications for both healthcare professionals and patients alike.’
Lord Moynihan (1865–1936) was a pioneering British abdominal surgeon and former President of the Royal College of Surgeons. He championed collaboration and transparency within surgery, helping to dismantle professional secrecy and rivalry in favour of shared learning and higher standards across the profession.