The Eileen Albert & LAP Research Travelling Fellowship 2014

The prize-winner for this award was Mr Ajay Belgaumkar who received funds to enable him to travel to Paris to further his surgical education into HPB disease.

“This was a unique opportunity to learn the techniques for major laparoscopic HPB resection from an acknowledged master"

“I undertook the IHPBA-accredited fellowship in advanced laparoscopic liver and pancreas surgery with Professor Brice Gayet, at L'Institut Mutualiste Montsouris. The IMM experience of laparoscopic HPB surgery is one of the largest in the world and includes >600 laparoscopic liver resections and >250 major pancreatic resections, as well as a large caseload of other digestive surgery. The Unit has a long track record of training fellows from the USA and Japan.

This was a unique opportunity to learn the techniques for major laparoscopic HPB resection from an acknowledged master, including an unparalleled opportunity to understand the tricks and pitfalls. My responsibilities include participation in theatre for HPB and digestive surgery cases on between 3-5 lists per week, attendance at Staff and Oncology MDT meetings and preparation of research papers and edited videos from the departmental clinical database. In particular, the techniques I have learnt include laparoscopic anatomical segmental liver resection (with use of transthoracic trocars), laparoscopic hilar dissection for major hepatectomy, laparoscopic liver ultrasound guided resection, and posterior 'artery-first' approach to laparoscopic Whipple's. I also had access to the Robotic theatres with the Urologists, where I was able to learn about the theatre set up and instrumentation of the Da Vinci robotic system. During my time in Paris, I also visited Prof Daniel Azoulay's team at Hopital Henri Mondor, who have a burgeoning experience in Robotic minimally invasive liver resection and robotic whipple's."

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