Akilesh Rathinam

Simran and I have already been very involved this year with Transplant and Vascular’s inaugural conference. Through being on subcommittee we both contributed to organising the timetable, speakers and ordering of meats. Our biggest contribution came on the day: taking and posting photos of both the talks and workshops, making and setting up slides, keeping the workshops to time and helping wherever the workshops lead needed. Following the conference, we had so many ideas on how we could add to a conference which received such praise from the delegates.

Outside of TVS society, we both have been Equipment Officers for Teddy Bear Hospital this year. This involves organising and transporting equipment for every visit taking place every single week. We also needed to order equipment and merchandise, requiring us to communicate with various suppliers on a regular basis, including hand drawn stickers Simran made for the society.

Simran has organised multiple skills training events within a team in her role as a cadet officer. This included multiple weekends for specific year groups and involved risk assessments, collaborating with officers and other organisations. I have also helped organise speakers for a web series aimed to target social isolation following the COVID lockdowns, requiring weekly speakers for nearly 2 years. Additionally, I have gained experience in networking with consultants through the Great Ormond Street Medical student ambassador programme and volunteering with the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons and Diabetes UK. We look forward to continuing to contribute to the Transplant and Vascular society.