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The first ever showcase of the Surgical Intervention Trials Unit, Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences (NDS SITU) was hosted on Monday 23 January 2023 at the Richard Doll Building on Old Road Campus, Oxford, and also online.

NDS SITU team members at the Surgical Trials Showcase

SITU provides expertise on all aspects of trial design including methodology, grant writing and statistics to develop and design surgical intervention trials, supporting both new and experienced investigators. This event showcased the exciting work taking place in NDS SITU and how researchers can develop their own research idea.  

Aimed at surgeons and other clinicians interested in surgical research, the Surgical Trials Showcase was an opportunity to learn about how SITU functions and how the team can develop and manage surgical trials.  

Chief investigators from across NDS gave presentations to showcase some of SITU’s current trials in their extensive portfolio.  

Other presentations included a talk on how SITU can improve surgical trials in Oxford and beyond by SITU Director Professor Michael Douek, whilst Professor Duncan Richards, who is Director of the Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit (OCTRU) discussed how OCTRU can support trial development

Poster presentations also provided further opportunity to learn more about the management of surgical trials from the SITU team. The afternoon finished with a panel Q&A with all the speakers. 

Professor Douek commented: 

'The SITU showcase was a success, and I would like to thank those who contributed and also all those who attended both in person and online. In recent years, NDS SITU has expanded significantly and now hosts a much larger team and manages a portfolio of grants for surgical trials exceeding £34 million. The showcase demonstrated the wide breadth of surgical subspecialties we manage, the tribulations involved in managing trials and how SITU has widened its reach.'

SITU Operational Leads Ms Amy Taylor and Dr Jessica Scaife added: 

'It was fantastic to be able to share the immense progress NDS SITU has made over the last few years with the wider research community. We had really good engagement from our unit members and associated clinical teams, and it was a great opportunity to be able to see the breadth of the portfolio in one place. And also to really demonstrate where the expertise in NDS SITU can help and support potential researchers, and how we as a unit fit into the wider Oxford clinical trials landscape.'

Professor Chris Cunningham, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon and Honorary Senior Lecturer, was one of the attendees at the showcase. He said:

'I thought it went really well and the team (and brand) felt thoroughly reinvigorated. I am sure there would be value in having similar events on a regular basis, perhaps one to two per year. There will always be new projects to showcase and a great opportunity to discuss and promote strategies/tactics for progressing projects and applications that would be of value. Congratulations. It must be very nice to see it flourishing.'

Professor Richard Bryant and Professor Michael Douek presenting at the Surgical Trials Showcase Alice Guazzelli standing next to her research poster 'Surveillance After Resection of Oesophageal aND Gastric cancer trial (SARONG)'
Charles Malyon Professor Alex Green presenting at the Surgical Trials Showcase
Professor Sheraz Markar presenting at the Surgical Trials Showcase Jessica Scaife and Amy Taylor presenting at the Surgical Trials Showcase
Professor Duncan Richards, Director of the Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit (OCTRU), presenting at the Surgical Trials Showcase Speakers and attendees networking at the Surgical Trials Showcase