10.30am – 12pm BST, 24 September 2026 ‐ 1 hour 30 mins
Room: Zenith
BOA Session
A morning of talks by a variety of speakers highlighting a wide variety of T&O career options & current concepts in our speciality, alongside a "battle of the bands" style face off between subspecialities to find the most popular.
Chair: Yusuf Michla
Agenda
10:30-11:00: James Tomlinson
Preparing for T&O “Beyond the Portfolio”
11:00-11:50: Professor Daniel Perry and Jo Craven
Academic T&O Session “Academic T&O is for everyone”
11:50-12:20: Minute bursary winner reports




Mr Michla is a consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic surgeon at the South Tyneside & Sunderland Foundation Trust. His specialist interest is in shoulder & elbow surgery with complex shoulder & elbow trauma being a particular interest. Mr Michla was appointed by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh as the Deputy National Director of the Foundation Trainees’ Surgical Societies in 2024. He also acts as a Regional Surgical Advisor for the College.
Alongside his clinical work, Mr Michla has a strong interest in undergraduate & postgraduate training and medical education. He has been nominated as the Northern Deanery’s “Trainer of the Year” three times, winning the title once.
For local postgraduate trainees he is a current academic mentor for Northern Deanery core and specialist trainees as well as for the Northern Foundation School, as well as sitting as a committee member of ONTEA, the Northern Deanery specialist training education steering group. At undergraduate level, he holds an honorary senior lecturer post with the University of Newcastle school of medicine, as well as an honorary lecturer role with the University of Sunderland school of medicine.
He was appointed the honorary chair of the University of Newcastle’s Surgical Society in 2016 & he also serves as the current co-chair of AO UK & Ireland’s undergraduate courses.

Consultant Spinal Surgeon, Sheffield
James is a Consultant Spinal Surgeon and Associate Medical Director for Education in Sheffield UK. He is a member of the NOTSS faculty has taught nationally and internationally on surgical non-technical skills and human factors and co-led a review of the NOTSS curriculum.
He also has a research interest in surgeon performance and non-technical skills.
