Observership Awards
Trainees and early career consultants from low and middle income countries
The global neurosurgery travel awards are designed to support a 6 week training period as an observer in a UK or Ireland neurosurgical centre for overseas visitors from low income or low middle income countries.
Applicants must have broad medical neurosurgical experience in a local neurosurgical training centre. Successful applicants will normally be senior level neurosurgical trainees, but more senior applicants with up to 2 years experience as a qualified neurosurgeon may also be considered at the discretion of the committee. Successful applicants will be awarded a grant of up to £7,000, the value of which is at the discretion of the SBNS global neurological surgery committee.
The closing date for applications is 1st April and 1st October each year.
Information
Application form
Selection criteria
Trainees and early career consultants from overseas
The SBNS will provide approximately 5 bursaries a year, each worth £2,000 to help trainee neurosurgeons from outside the UK to visit British Neurosurgical Departments as observers for a period of four to six weeks. Further bursaries may be awarded but will be considered on a case by case basis.
This will be limited to a maximum of one bursary per year from any neurosurgical unit.
Bursary applications will now be reviewed twice a year. The deadline for applications will be 1st April and 1st October.
Trainee neurosurgeons who would like to apply for one of these bursaries should apply in writing to: Carole Turner, SBNS Research Development & Clinical Trials Manager [email protected].
Applications will need to be accompanied by a cv and two references:
- From the head of the department in the non-EU country where the trainee is training recommending that he come to the UK as an observer and confirming that he has good spoken English
- From a consultant neurosurgeon in the UK department which the applicant would like to attend as an observer. The latter reference must also include an undertaking by the UK consultant to be responsible for the trainee whilst in the UK and to provide the necessary letter of invitation for obtaining a visa
The applicants first need to arrange an observership with a UK consultant which will include accommodation etc., they may have to pay for themselves depending on local circumstances. It would be up to the UK consultant to agree the observer ship with his/her Trust. Once this has been set up then the SBNS can consider contributing £2,000 to the costs, which can be put towards travel, accommodation, living expenses etc.
After completing the visit the consultant responsible for the trainee whilst in the UK and the trainee themselves should complete the Report Form together, outlining what he/she has gained from the visit and submit it to the SBNS Office.
Awards
2025
Ram Subedi from Nepal (Kings College, London - sponsor B Zebian)
Omar Gad from Egypt (Glasgow -sponsor C Mathieson)
Mohammad Suliman from Jordan (Edinburgh - sponsor I Liaquat)
2024
Amr Nabil Ali from Egypt (Kings College, London - sponsor B Zebian)
Mohamed Badran from Egypt (St George's, London - sponsor M Hart)
Mohammed Hassan from Egypt (Glasgow - sponsor C Mathieson)
Report
G Bornancin from Brazil (Great Ormond Street - sponsor D Silva)
Report
2023
Mohamed Soliman from Egypt (Glasgow - sponsor C Mathieson)
Report
Jihad Hasanin from Gaza, Palastine (Birmingham - sponsor G Tsermoulas)
Report
2022
Gratian Gwenero from Zimbabwe (Newcastle - sponsor C Nicholson)
Rahul Chhajed from Maharashtra, India (Birmingham - sponsor J Dhir)
Igor Antoci from Moldova (Sheffield -sponsor M Ivanov)
Mostafa Essa from Egypt (Glasgow - sponsor C Mathieson)
Olga Cojocari from Moldova (Sheffield -sponsor M Ivanov)
2019
Stas Doroshenco from Moldova (Sheffield - sponsor S Sinha)
Salman Shaikh from Mumbai (Cambridge - sponsor T Santarius)
Ahmed Mohamed Elbelkasy from Egypt (St George's, London - sponsor E Pereira)
Sanjaya Perera from Sri Lanka (Aberdeen - sponsor P Bhatt) - withdrawn
Siddharth Vankipuram from Mumbai (Liverpool - sponsor K Gilkes)
Chirag Solanki from Gujarat, India (Oxford - sponsor T Aziz)
2018
Andronic Mihai from Moldova (Sheffield- sponsor M Ivanov)
Juan Bosco Gonzales Torres from Nicaragua (Cardiff - sponsor C Hayhurst)
Olga Testemitanu from Moldova (Liverpool - sponsor K Gilkes)
Veekshith Shetty from Bangalore (Aberdeen - sponsor P Bodkin)
Zahid Raihan from Bangladesh (Oxford - sponsor T Aziz)
Altaf Alilghari from Karachi (St George's - sponsor H Marsh)
Taras Mykytyn from the Ukraine (GOS - sponsor H Marsh)
2017
*Tatiana Ojer from Cuba (Oxford - sponsor T Aziz)
*This bursary has been jointly funded by T Aziz and the SBNS
Tran Minh Tri / Dung Quach Tien from Vietnam (Newcastle - sponsor J Nissen)
Rahmon Egamberdiyev from Uzbekistan (Sheffield - sponsor M Ivanov)
Mahmoud Shoaib from Egypt (Cambridge - sponsor R Trivedi)
2016
Nyararai Togarepi from Zimbabwe (Sheffield - sponsor Mr M Ivanov)
Samvel Sargsyan from Armenia (Sheffield - sponsor Mr S Sinha)
Adrian Ndroqi from Albania (St. George's Hospital - Sponsor H Marsh and T Jones)
Plechov Sergei from Russia (Kings College - sponsor C Tolias)
2015
Mohamed Salama (Sheffield - sponsor M Ivanov)
2014
Shikher Shrestha (St George's - sponsor H Marsh)
Ur Koray (St George's - sponsor H Marsh)
2013
Mohammed Suheel (Aberdeen - sponsor P Bhatt)
2012
Le Quan Chi Cuong (Oxford -sponsor R Redfern)
Goktug Akyoldas (St George's - sponsor H Marsh)
Bogdan B?l?nescu (Atkinson Morley - sponsor H Marsh)
2011
Geldon Fejzo (Atkinson Morley - sponsor H Marsh)