The aim of the annual Alex Simpson Smith Travelling Fellowship is to assist senior surgical trainees or newly appointed consultants to undertake an educational visit to a centre outside of the UK for the purposes of gaining further experience or training in their speciality. Preference will be given to applicants who can demonstrate that their visit will make a significant contribution to their surgical training or will allow them to acquire new skills.
Description of the award
Financial support is for travel and accommodation expenses (not including subsistence) for a fellowship that usually lasts between one and four weeks (funding is not usually awarded for whole year fellowships). The amount awarded depends on the needs of the individual application and past awards have ranged from £600 - £2,500. The Fellowships are not intended to facilitate attendance at scientific meetings or symposia.
Commitments
Following successful completion of the fellowship, awardees will be expected to submit a written report of their experience to the Simpson Smith Trustees for upload onto the Simpson-Smith website and give a brief 5- minute presentation at the next London Surgical Symposium.
Previous Alex Simpson Smith Travelling Fellowship destinations include
2022 Stanford USA; Texas USA; Mayo Clinic USA; Toronto, Canada; Taiwan; China
2021 Tokyo, Japan; Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands
2019 Massachusetts, USA; McGill University Hospital, USA; Pittsburgh USA; Pune, India
2018 Melbourne Australia; Verona, Italy; Alabama, USA; Sydney, Australia
Eligibility
To be eligible, applicants need to fulfil the following criteria:
1. Be a surgical trainee (ST3+ or above) or consultant surgeon within 5 years of appointment
2. Currently training or working in the West London area or have a link to the West London Hospitals. 3. Can clearly define the benefit that will be gained from this experience
Applications
Those wishing to apply should send the following by email to Mr James Kinross, including the following documents:
- A cover letter with an outline of their proposed visit, stating the centre they wish to visit and explaining how this will enhance their training
- An estimate of their proposed travelling costs and expenses
- A CV
- A letter of approval from the host centre
- A letter of approval from their current educational supervisor
Deadline
Applications for the 2026 award is now open.
Contact
Queries about eligibility / limits of the fellowship can be made by email to Mr James Kinross