The Lady Estelle Wolfson Emerging Leaders Fellowship

Aims 

As a surgeon, there are a number of leadership opportunities available to you throughout your career. For many surgeons however, imposter syndrome, fear of the unknown and other responsibilities can stop you from applying to roles that you have great potential to excel in. 

The Lady Estelle Wolfson Emerging Leaders Fellowship aims to encourage women to apply for senior and leadership roles in the RCS and in surgery. The year-long programme provides women with the opportunity to be involved in College activities, become familiar with how the College operates and encourages them to apply for Council and other leadership roles. The scheme has been generously supported by Lady Estelle Wolfson (Chair of The Lord Leonard and Lady Estelle Wolfson Foundation). 

Professor Farah Bhatti was appointed as Council lead, and a steering group was established to design and implement the programme. The programme comprises of seven days of College activity, spread across the year covering a range of meetings. The programme will be tailored to each participant’s interests. 

The Lady Estelle Wolfson Emerging Leaders Fellowship is currently postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are following government guidelines and will post more information as soon as we can. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at careers@rcseng.ac.uk.

Hear from our previous fellows

Nicola Fearnhead, 2015/16 Fellow

'Having concentrated on delivering excellence in clinical care and training as a consultant surgeon for the past decade, the Lady Estelle Wolfson Fellowship programme has now offered unique insight into how the Royal College of Surgeons functions, and provided an opportunity to explore how one might usefully contribute to our profession in the future.'

Kathryn Taylor, 2018-19 Fellow

'I was really pleased to be awarded the Lady Estelle Wolfson Emerging Leaders Fellowship but did not know what to expect. I have had an amazing opportunity to gain insight into the processes involved in various committees at the College and I intend to become more actively involved in the future. I have met some incredible and inspiring surgeons and found this a really enjoyable and rewarding experience.'

Laura Gartshore, 2018-19 Fellow

'The Lady Estelle Wolfson Leadership Fellowship has provided valuable mentorship and a (super) fast-track in my career. There’s been opportunity to attend a multitude of RCS Committee meetings, to deliver teaching at RCS Educational Courses, and to participate in the design of marketing resources. Networking with a diverse group of Fellows has offered informal support and contacts for the future. As the year draws to an end, I have been successfully appointed to a Programme Director role - a leadership opportunity that I had not dreamt of this time last year. My sincere thanks to RCS and FDS for your support. If you’re thinking about applying - stop thinking, and just go for it.'

Blogs

• Laura Gartshore tells us why she is looking forward to taking part in the 2018-19 Lady Estelle Wolfson Emerging Leaders Fellowship.
• Jenny Smith reflects on her experiences as one of the 2015-16 cohort of Emerging Leaders.
• An article about the 2015/16 Lady Estelle Wolfson fellows was also published in Medical Woman Magazine.