BFIRST June Newsletter 2026
05 June 2026
(Last updated: 5 Jul 2026 18:25)
BFIRST Overseas Day 2026
Save the date: BFIRST will host the biennial Overseas Day on the 4th September at the Royal Society of Medicine.
This will include a series of interesting talks showcasing overseas work undertaken by BFIRST and other societies and organisations from the UK.
There will be 60 tickets available, we will let you know once they are available!
Chris Lewis Half Marathon Fundraiser
In October, Chris Lewis will be running the Royal Parks Half Marathon to raise money for Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi, Tanzania, and the work of BFIRST.
KCMC provides vital burn care across Northern Tanzania, serving a large catchment area with limited specialist resources. Support helps strengthen sustainable burn care, reconstructive surgery, training, and education.
Every donation will help support better burn care for patients and families, while strengthening long-term partnership work through FIRST. Please support this fundraising effort.
Please sponsor Chris here!
BFIRST Essay Prize
Thank you to everyone who submitted an essay for the BFIRST essay prize 2026. The essays were excellent and choosing the winner was no easy task!
Congratulations to the winner, Dr Maanav Khanna, F2 doctor at Wexham Park Hospital!
BFIRST will be at BAPRAS 2026
On the 4th December afternoon we will be hosting the humanitarian and military session at the BAPRAS annual conference in Liverpool! We look forward to seeing you there!
As part of BFIRST BAPRAS tradition, we will be hosting a dinner, on the 3rd of December, with an auction for some exciting prizes! More details to follow!
Egyptian Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons (ESPRS) & British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (BAPRAS) meeting
On the 4th June, BFIRST members Mr Ahmed Emam and Mr Chris Lewis attended the joint ESPRS x BAPRAS meeting in Cairo, where Mr Lewis gave a presentation on behalf of BFIRST on the BFIRST support visit to Moshi, Tanzania.
New BFIRST Resident Members
We received very strong resident applications to join the BFIRST subcommittees and are pleased to welcome three new resident members: Chane Kulenkampff, William Watkinson and Julia Oh. We look forward to working together!
Chihena Banda's visit to Canada
Dr Chihena Banda, Head of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia, was awarded the prestigious 2026 Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons (CSPS) International Travelling Fellowship. The fellowship provided the opportunity to spend two weeks at Kelowna General Hospital under the mentorship of Dr Scott Williamson, followed by attendance and a presentation at the 79th CSPS Annual Meeting in Kelowna.
During his fellowship, Dr Banda observed and assisted in complex reconstructive microsurgery, breast reconstruction and hand surgery, while also gaining valuable insight into multidisciplinary perioperative care and the development of sustainable microsurgical services. Particularly valuable were discussions with Dr Williamson and his team about building a specialist service within a smaller hospital—lessons directly applicable to the continued development of reconstructive surgery in Zambia.
Chihena Banda with BAPRAS president Paul McArthur at the CSPS meeting.
The CSPS meeting also enabled Dr Banda to strengthen international collaborations and present the progress being made in Zambia. A highlight was meeting BAPRAS President Paul McArthur, where discussions focused on BFIRST's ongoing support for reconstructive surgery training and future collaboration to strengthen microsurgical education at Lusaka University Teaching Hospital.
Mr Banda extends his sincere thanks to the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons for this exceptional opportunity, to BFIRST Founder Dr Barbara Jemec for her invaluable support in organising the fellowship, and to Dr Scott Williamson and the Kelowna General Hospital team for their generosity and mentorship. He is also deeply grateful to CSPS members for their generous donation of surgical instruments and supplies, which will make a meaningful difference to patient care, surgical training and the continued development of reconstructive surgery services in Zambia.
Meet the Team
Mr Jeyaram Srinivasan: Education, Research and Fellowships Subcommittee
Tell us about yourself!
I am a Consultant Plastic Surgeon based in the UK, at the Royal Preston Hospital. Originally trained in India, I moved to the UK in 1995 to continue my specialist training and was appointed as an NHS Consultant Plastic Surgeon in 2004. My clinical practice focuses on complex reconstructive surgery, including breast, head and neck, skin cancer, and abdominal wall reconstruction. Throughout my career, however, my greatest passion has been teaching, training, and mentoring future generations of surgeons, both in the UK and abroad.
Tell us about your time with BFIRST
I joined the BFIRST board in January 2026 after completing my term on the BAPRAS Council. Recently, I have been appointed as chair of a working group responsible for distributing funds for microsurgery-related projects around the world, which aligns with my second passion, microsurgery. I appreciate the responsibility bestowed on me by Tony, the BFIRST chair, and the rest of the committee who have trusted on my ability to deliver it well.
Why did you want to work with BFIRST?
I have worked in various roles involving teaching and training, including the BAAPS council, BAPRAS council, and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh train the trainer course faculty, due to my passion for teaching and training.
BFIRST's commitment to education, training, and improving reconstructive surgical care globally closely aligns with my own values and professional interests. I was fortunate enough to have very, very good trainers in my life who have helped me to be where I am, and I want to continue the tradition of helping future generation of trainees to excel in their profession - even more than I can. This is how I can give back to my profession, to the NHS, and to the wider plastic surgery community.
What are your aspirations for BFIRST?
My aim is to try and make microsurgery widely available around the world for surgeons involved in plastic surgery reconstruction because it's a key skill to have, which will allow surgeons to help various patients in difficult situations. It opens up a whole new world of opportunities and reconstructive options, which is fundamental for any plastic surgeon. My aspirations for BFIRST are to ensure we select the right projects and appropriately spend the funding that is available to BFIRST to realise this aim.
What do you like to do outside of work and BFIRST?
Outside work, I enjoy travelling, meeting people from different backgrounds, and spending time outdoors, particularly walking in the Lake District, which is close to me. I am naturally curious and enjoy learning from others, often finding that some of the most interesting perspectives come from outside the medical profession. I like to enjoy life’s opportunities as best as I can.
Webinars
BFIRST 2026 Webinar Series
Please join us for our next webinar:
Global Surgery
29th July 2026, 19:00 BST
Mr Naveen Cavale
Mr Cavale trained in London and has been a consultant plastic surgeon since 2009. He has an NHS and Private Practice, both based in South London. Since 2014, he has been visiting Gaza, with a team of Limb Reconstruction surgeons, helping to look after complex blast and gunshot injuries. As well as direct patient care, the emphasis there has been on training local surgeons to increase capacity. Via BFIRST, Mr Cavale is involved in a collaboration project with BSSH in Tanzania. Mr Cavale is the immediate past Chair of BFIRST and continues to play an active role.
Please register for this webinar here.
Fellowships
BFIRST Fellows
The 2026 BFIRST fellows have been selected, congratulations to:
Dr Lambert Onahi Iji from Nigeria
Dr Lambert Onahi Iji has already arrived in the UK, and is doing an observership in Leeds, placed with the Cleft Surgery, Congenital Hand and Trauma teams.
Dr Masroor-ur-Rahman from Bangladesh
Dr Masroor-ur-Rahman from Bangladesh has also arrived in the UK. He is observing Nav Cavale and the Plastics Team at St Thomas’s hospital.
Abir (Dr Masroor-ur-Rahman), BFIRST Fellow, from Bangladesh, has arrived at St. Thomas’s Hospital (Alongside Daniel, ISAPS Fellow, from Romania)
Previous BFIRST fellows to deliver a webinar on setting up a microsurgery service
Two previous BFIRST fellows will be delivering talks about their experiences of setting up a local microsurgical service: Dr Abdurezak Ali, from Addis Ababa, and Dr Kemi Ayoede, from Lagos.
They will be joined by Dr Chihena Banda, from Lusaka, our main collaborator for the Zambia project.
This webinar will take place on 1st August 2026, we will share further details and the link to join once available.
Fundraising
We would be grateful for any donations to help support our work.
Tough Mudder
BFIRST are planning to enter a team for Tough Mudder in September, if you are keen to join the BFIRST Tough Mudder team let us know here!
BFIRST Scrub Hats
We launched the BFIRST scrub hats at the BAPRAS Congress in December 2025, which were hugely popular, if you would like to purchase a hat please email: hcroberts46@gmail.com.
All proceeds will fund work undertaken by BFIRST!
Easyfundraising
Raise free funds for BFIRST with your everyday online shopping, visit easyfundraising to get started.
When shopping online by signing up to Easyfundraising your purchases will generate free funding for BFIRST!
Other
Open Hand Therapy Initiative
The Open Hand Therapy Initiative aims to improve hand injury care in resource challenged settings in order to reduce disability, improve quality of life and increase chances of work for people with hand injuries and conditions.
They provide accessible, relevant and captivating learning opportunities for generalist occupational therapists and physiotherapists that motivate ongoing development for hand-injury care.
They also invite hand therapists acquainted with the challenges faced in low to middle income countries to participate in strengthening hand injury care in these settings by sharing their expertise.
For more information click here!