Emerging Leaders 

Aylin Baysan is a Clinical Professor in Cariology in relation to Minimally Invasive Dentistry and Specialist in Endodontics and Prosthodontics at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). In addition, she is Adjunct Professor at Bezmialem Vakıf University, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul, Türkiye, and Honorary Professor of Restorative Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong since 2024.

Aylin completed the dental undergraduate degree at Hacettepe University School of Medicine and Dentistry, Ankara, Türkiye. Aylin completed MSc in Gerodontology (funded) at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, QMUL. She was then funded to do a clinical PhD to study the management of root caries either using ozone or high fluoride at QMUL and became one of the patent holders to use ozone on root decay. Aylin was also the first researcher to conduct a clinical study using the toothpaste containing 5,000 ppm fluoride (Duraphat Toothpaste, Colgate) on root caries. Her research related to Duraphat toothpaste was recommended in the Department of Health Guidelines, UK for delivering better oral health.

Aylin completed the Royal College of Surgeons' Dental Membership exams and PGCAP programme (Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, Higher Education Academy, UK) at Kings College London before moving back to QMUL to do further clinical training as an NHIR (National Institute for Health Research, Department of Health) trainee. Following this, Aylin became a General Dental Council Registered (GDC) Specialist in Removable and Fixed Prosthodontics. Aylin then obtained the Senior Fellowship and Principal status at the Advance HE. Aylin was also awarded to the Fellowship at Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh as Dental Trainer (2020). Aylin passed the Membership exam in Endodontics at Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh to become a GDC Registered Specialist in Endodontics. She was also invited to become a Fellow at Royal College of Surgeons in England (2023).

Aylin is the Undergraduate Endodontics programme lead and Master Programme Director in Minimally Invasive Dentistry (MID). Due to the demand to the MID programme, she also introduced the Clinical Doctorate Programme in MID. Aylin has supervised many PhD and MSc students on various projects in Cariology in relation to MID. She was awarded to several national and international prizes including Procter and Gamble Award for Geriatric Oral Research for the Best Research on the Use of Oral Care Products from Geriatric Oral Research Group at the International Association of Dental Research (IADR). Aylin has over 60 peer reviewed publications and book chapters. She is also the Editor of first MID book entitled 'Interdisciplinary Clinical and Scientific Approaches' aimed at disseminating MID knowledge nationally and internationally and her book has been published in November 2025.

Aylin was the IADR Cariology Research Group (CRG) Councillor between 2019-2021. Aylin is the Founder of the IADR Minimally Invasive Dentistry Research Network Group, and she was the President of IADR MID Network Group (2022-24). As a founding member, she has been instrumental in promoting research and knowledge exchange on MID, bringing together academics, clinicians, and industry partners to drive innovation in sustainable dentistry. She was also the elected Advisory Board Member on European Organisation for Caries Research (ORCA, 2020-23). Aylin has been elected to be the CRG President-elect (2023-24), and she was the CRG President (2024-25) and just became the Geriatric Oral Research Councillor (2026-2029).

Beyond her research and teaching, Professor Baysan is a passionate advocate for public engagement and health awareness, particularly in the oral-systemic health connection. She has been actively involved in raising awareness about the link between oral health and diabetes, working with healthcare professionals and communities to enhance understanding and improve health outcomes. Her work is also deeply rooted in Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), where she strives to promote inclusive dental education, positive and equitable work environment for everyone to flourish. Aylin was recently selected to be a B-MEntor which is cross-institutional London-wide mentoring scheme for Academic and Professional Services staff from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. Through leadership, mentorship, and policy engagement, Aylin is passionate about a more inclusive and accessible future for everyone in clinical academia. Lastly, Aylin’s passion for art and classical music mirrors her approach to academia where creativity and precision unite to showcase MID strategy with tailored patient care and education.

Tricia is a final year trainee in Trauma and Orthopaedics, she has a subspecialist interest in lower limb arthroplasty and major trauma. Alongside her clinical training, she is completing a Diploma in Hip Surgery.

Tricia has a strong interest in medical education. She holds a postgraduate diploma in medical education, with research focused on understanding the gender differential in attainment within postgraduate surgical examinations. She also completed an out of programme fellowship with Health Education England, gaining valuable experience in national strategy and the operation of large healthcare organisations.

From 2019 to 2020, Tricia served as President of the British Orthopaedic Trainees Association. She had the privilege of advocating for trainees and worked to safeguard fair FRCS and ST3 recruitment processes despite the challenges of the COVID 19 Pandemic.

Culture change is important to Tricia. She was Invited panel member for RCS Eng Kennnedy review into diversity in surgical leadership.

She can often be found trackside at motorsport events. She has over 12 years’ experience in motorsport medicine and has worked at iconic events including Formula 1 at Silverstone, British Touring Cars and British Superbikes.

Outside of work, she is a wife and mother to two young children who keep her happily busy.

Tricia is honoured and excited to be part of the Emerging Leaders programme.

I am a Consultant Hand & Wrist Surgeon at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, working across elective, trauma and complex hand reconstruction. I have a strong interest in education and sit on the British Society for Surgery of the Hand Education & Training Committee, reflecting my commitment to supporting trainees and shaping the future of hand surgery training.

I am passionate about creating supportive, collaborative surgical environments and strengthening how we deliver clear, patient-centred care.

I am delighted to join the Emerging Leaders Programme and look forward to developing my leadership skills and contributing positively to surgical education and the wider surgical community. 

I am currently a final year specialty registrar in Special Care Dentistry. I graduated from Barts and the London in 2011, and I completed dental core training at the Royal London Hospital in 2013. The next four years were spent working as an associate dentist, before moving to community dental services to work as a dental officer. In 2021, I started specialty training, and I completed the membership examinations in 2023. Via the RCS England, I have gained the MJDF in 2013 and a Diploma in Special Care Dentistry in 2021. Recently, I have also completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education.

By participating in this leadership programme, I hope to strengthen inclusive approaches and gain tools to support colleagues more effectively. I am also keen to mentor junior colleagues and become a strong advocate for those from a minority background. Ultimately, I want to develop strong leadership skills to increase diversity, inclusivity, and equality within the special care dentistry workforce. 

I am a Core Surgical Trainee in North London on an ENT-themed programme, with a strong interest in medical education and global health. As part of my leadership journey, I founded and led a competitive international global health teaching programme using an innovative, simulation-based approach that combined global health, public health and global health diplomacy. The first iteration brought together almost 60 international participants and was highly successful, leading me to oversee subsequent iterations with consistently excellent feedback.

I have completed a Master’s degree in Global Healthcare Leadership on a full merit-based scholarship from Health Education England. My leadership style is grounded in inclusivity, collaboration and creating learning environments that enable diverse participants to contribute meaningfully and thrive.

Alongside medicine, I am a classically trained singer and have performed at high-profile venues including the Royal Albert Hall, the Barbican, Wembley Arena, as well as internationally in China and Hong Kong.

It is an honour to be selected as a Royal College of Surgeons Emerging Leader and I look forward to further developing my leadership skills through this programme. 

I am a higher general surgery trainee in the East Midlands and I was recently awarded an NIHR doctoral fellowship in support of my PhD at the University of Nottingham. My current research aims to optimise diagnostic pathways for bowel cancer. I aspire towards excellence in clinical academia and following my PhD I will pursue subspeciality training in colorectal surgery.

To date I have held a range of leadership roles including chair of a regional Core Surgical Trainee Committee and director of CST teaching for the East Midlands. I’m delighted to have been selected to participate in the 2026/2027 Emerging Leaders programme. This will be a fantastic opportunity to develop and refine my leadership capabilities at a pivotal time in my career. I am passionate about promoting women in surgery and overcoming barriers to create a more inclusive environment in both the operating room and academia.

Outside of surgery, you will most likely find me training for the next marathon (London 2026), planning a somewhat delayed honeymoon to Japan (two weeks before the marathon…), at a concert or hanging out with my silver tabby cat.  

I am a Consultant Bariatric and Upper GI Surgeon at Homerton Hospital in London, where I serve as Clinical Lead for our service. I have led multiple initiatives to improve safety, streamline pathways, and enhance access to treatment for people living with obesity—an often underserved group facing significant barriers and stigma. My long-term aim is to ensure equitable, compassionate, and non-judgemental specialist weight-management care for all who need it.

My PhD focused on GLP-1 and its role in optimising weight-loss outcomes, and I remain committed to research and innovation that advance metabolic and obesity care. My practice focuses on safety, long-term outcomes, and supporting patients to achieve sustainable, meaningful improvements in their health. I am also passionate about widening access to other weight-restricted specialties by collaborating across disciplines to remove unnecessary and unfair barriers to treatment.

I am thrilled to be part of the RCS Emerging Leaders Programme. Having experienced difficulties and barriers during pregnancy and maternity leave—including feeling excluded from certain career opportunities—I have gained insight into the subtle but significant factors that contribute to the gender leadership and gender pay gaps within surgery. I believe this programme will support my development as a leader while enabling me to contribute to meaningful, system-level interventions that promote gender equity across the profession.

I strongly believe that people should be supported to continue developing and learning if they wish to during parental leave, and equally supported if they choose to step back. As a profession and as a College, we can do more to ensure that parental leave does not disproportionately hinder career progression, and I am committed to being part of that change. 

I am a Plastic Surgery Specialist Registrar at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, completing my training through the Portfolio Pathway. Having taken an alternative route to traditional training programmes, I openly share my experience to help other surgeons considering diverse career paths.

My leadership experience includes managing rotas for 32 registrars, advocating for better training conditions that led to real departmental changes, and co-founding digital health solutions as an NHS Clinical Entrepreneur. I also work as a Clinical Safety Officer, focusing on patient safety in healthcare technology.

I am committed to addressing inequality in surgery. My recent paper on gender bias, published in The Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons, reflects my belief that surgery needs to become more welcoming to everyone. 

As a mother of two I understand the challenges of balancing surgical training with family life. Through the RCS Emerging Leaders Programme, I hope to develop the skills needed to create meaningful change, making surgery a profession that attracts and supports diverse talent while maintaining the highest standards of patient care. 

Zainab Rai is a hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgical trainee and research fellow with a strong commitment to advancing equity in healthcare and education. Originally from Tanzania, she brings a global perspective shaped by lived experiences of migration, exclusion, and belonging. She is currently a senior clinical research fellow at University College London, where she sits on the Gender Equality Action Group, leading initiatives to improve access and retention for women in academic medicine. 

Zainab also represents surgical trainees across her region, advocating for more inclusive and supportive training environments. Her leadership style is collaborative, systems-focused, and grounded in empathy. Through the Emerging Leaders Programme, she hopes to gain the tools, mentorship, and networks to drive structural change and embed inclusive practice at scale. 

I am a Senior Clinical Paediatric Neurosurgery Fellow at Great Ormond Street Hospital having just attained CCT in August 2025. I completed my run-through neurosurgical training in Leeds.

I’m excited to join the Emerging Leaders Programme because I want to build on what I’ve learned so far. I want to grow my leadership skills, gain new perspectives and work alongside a diverse cohort of colleagues to bring about positive change for women in surgery. Ultimately, I hope to contribute to a culture in surgery where people feel valued, respected and supported regardless of their background and cultural differences.

I am currently the Chief Fellow in the neurosurgery department at GOSH. I have also been the Chief Registrar during my ST5 year in Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust (the first surgical trainee to hold this post). I also sit on the EANS Diversity Task Force, advocating for equity, representation and cultural change within neurosurgery.

I am passionate about improving inclusivity, developing future surgical leaders and shaping supportive training environments. I hope the Emerging Leaders Programme will further strengthen my leadership identity, enhance my ability to influence higher-level change and equip me to drive progress in both neurosurgery and the wider surgical community. 

I am a Colorectal and General Surgeon at Mersey West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, with a specialist interest in robotic surgery and surgical oncology. My training took me through two high-volume fellowships in Australia after CCT and I have returned to the NHS passionate about bringing the best patient care and workplace culture to my practice.

As a female surgeon and mum I care deeply about visibility, representation and creating psychologically safe environments for women entering surgical training. I’m driven by the belief that you can’t be what you can’t see. Representation matters. I want women at every stage of training to feel that surgery is a place they belong, and that they don’t have to compromise themselves to succeed. Mentorship, kindness and authenticity are central to how I work, and I aim to use my experience to support others navigating surgical careers irrespective of gender, race and background.

I’m excited to be part of the Emerging Leaders Programme to develop my leadership identity, ‘lifting as I climb’ and play an active role in shaping a more inclusive surgical workforce to benefit the profession and our patients.

I am a Consultant ENT Surgeon with a subspecialty interest in Laryngology, working at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Trust in London. My clinical and academic journey—from earning my medical degree with a Distinction at King’s College London and a BSc from Imperial College London, to contributing to national research as NIHR Regional Trainee Lead and completing a Post-CCT Clinical Laryngology Fellowship in Sydney—has shaped my commitment to excellence in voice, airway, and swallowing care.

Alongside my roles as a Royal College of Surgeons Specialty Advisor for Otolaryngology Updates, Honorary Senior Lecturer at City St George’s, University of London, and British Voice Association Council Member, I am passionate about championing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the surgical workplace. I believe that a thriving surgical community is one where all voices are heard, represented, and empowered. I am equally motivated by the growing need to promote sustainability in surgery and advocating for practices that safeguard both patient health and the health of our planet.

Through the Emerging Leaders Programme, I hope to develop the skills to drive meaningful cultural and environmental change across our profession.