Announcements
Change in the NHS, progress and barriers. Reflections from a recent RCGP Chair
by Professor Kamila Hawthorne, MBE MD FRCGP FRCP FAcadMed (Hon) FLSW FFPH (Hon) DRCOG DCH(Lond) DFFP PG Cert Med Ed
Thursday 7 May 2026 | 6:30 pm | 6:30 pm
Lecture Theatre, Audrey Emerton Building, Royal Sussex County Hospital, Eastern Road, Brighton, BN2 5BE
Kamila has been a GP in South Wales for 31 years, and a GP for 37 years, having qualified from Somerville College, Oxford in 1984, and completed her GP training in Nottingham in 1988. She grew up in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania. Prior to arriving in South Wales, she was a GP partner in practices in Nottingham and Manchester. She is the immediate past Chair of the Royal College of GPs, having demitted office at the end of November 2025. She is on the Trustee Boards of the Kings Fund, and Moondance Cancer Initiative, the Chair of Trustee Board for two charities, the National Academy of Social Prescribing, and Pathway (health inclusion for homeless people). She is the patron of Health Literacy UK. She is also a Bevan Commissioner and a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.
Her research and clinical working interests have been in health inequalities and access to health services, (her MD was based on link-worker-led culturally appropriate health education for BAME patient groups with Type 2 diabetes in Nottingham, Manchester and Cardiff). With wide experience of general practice and running community projects in diabetes and heart disease, she has been named ‘GP of the Year’ twice, Woman of the Year 2024 at the GG2 Leadership and Diversity Awards and was awarded an MBE in 2017 for services to General Practice. She has been an MRCGP Examiner for 26 years. More recently, she has been Head of the Graduate Entry Medicine programme at Swansea University (2019-2022).
Kamila is now retired from clinical general practice, but is keeping very busy with her charitable activities, gardening and spending time with her grandson.
Our 2026 programme is now available on our website via this link Programme 2026. Please save the dates in your diary. We encourage you to attend the meeting in person to take full advantage of the direct interaction opportunities that are especially valuable in the digital era. However, if you are only able to join remotely via the livestream, where interaction is limited, please provide your contacts using this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/zV043FnxRM2W7ctdLh68vw.
Change in the NHS, progress and barriers. Reflections from a recent RCGP Chair
Aristotle to Algorithms: Philosophical Dimensions of Robotic Orthopaedic Surgery
by Professor Benedict Rogers, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Royal College of Surgeons of England
Thursday 5 March 2026 | 6:30 pm
Lecture Theatre, Audrey Emerton Building, Royal Sussex County Hospital, Eastern Road, Brighton, BN2 5BE
Signup for online access: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/-bw7j8dhSFSpW7aXrkjE9w.
In this lecture, Professor Benedict Rogers will share his journey and experiences as an orthopaedic surgeon, pivotal moments and key learnings that have shaped his career. From his early education and training to the challenges and triumphs in the operating room, fracture clinic and lecture theatre. Professor Rogers will provide insights into this evolving field, particularly the transformative world of robotic-assisted orthopaedic surgery, exploring its impact on modern medical practices and patient outcomes. Robotic technology has revolutionized the field of orthopaedics, offering unprecedented precision, control, and efficiency in surgical procedures. Finally, he will discuss the challenges, limitations and implications of this technology, as well as the ongoing research and future directions in the field.
Professor Rogers is a Consultant in Orthopaedic & Trauma Surgery consulting in Surrey and Sussex, with clinical and academic interests on hip and knee surgery, including robotic-assisted sports injuries and trauma. He is a graduate of University of Oxford (Christ Church), St George’s Hospital Medical School (University of London), UCL, University of Portsmouth and University of Toronto, and has been awarded PhD (2017) with thesis entitled “Optimising the Outcomes of Hip and Knee Replacements”. Currently he is an NHS Consultant at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and an Honorary Clinical Professor at Brighton & Sussex Medical School.
Aristotle to Algorithms: Philosophical Dimensions of Robotic Orthopaedic Surgery
The Price of Life - What are We Worth & Who Decides?
with Jenny Kleeman, Journalist, Author, Editor
Thursday 12th February 2026 | 6:30 pm
Lecture Theatre, Audrey Emerton Building, Royal Sussex County Hospital, Eastern Road, Brighton, BN2 5BE
We say that life is priceless, but the cost of saving a life, creating a life or compensating for a life taken is routinely calculated and put into practice. In a world in love with data, it is possible to run a cost-benefit analysis on anything – including life itself. For philanthropists, judges, criminals, healthcare providers and government ministers, it’s just part of the job. Exploring the final frontier in monetization, Jenny Kleeman asks what we lose and what we gain by leaving the judgments that really matter up to cold, hard logic.
In 2025, Jenny won the Orwell Prize for journalism. She writes long form magazine pieces for the Guardian, the Financial Times Magazine and the Sunday Times Magazine. A regular voice on BBC Radio 4, Jenny writes and presents the documentary series The Gift, and has reported for BBC One's Panorama and Channel 4's Dispatches, as well as making 13 films from across the globe for Channel 4's Unreported World. Her first book, Sex Robots & Vegan Meat, was published in 2020 and has been translated into eleven languages. Her second book The Price of Life, was published in 2024.
Our 2026 programme is now available on our website via this link Programme 2026. Please save the dates in your diary. We encourage you to attend the meeting in person to take full advantage of the direct interaction opportunities that are especially valuable in the digital era. However, if you are only able to join remotely via the livestream, where interaction is limited, please provide your contacts using this link: https://forms.office.com/e/rJBj2tgNAf.
The Price of Life - What are We Worth & Who Decides?
About Us
The Brighton and Sussex Medico-Chirurgical Society (“Med-Chi”, pronounced “med-ki” to rhyme with sky) was founded in 1847 as a forum for medical professionals to meet, learn and socialise. Today our function is similar but more inclusive. Membership is open to practising or retired medical practitioners, allied healthcare professionals, pharmacists or individuals whose interests align with the objects of the Society.
Our meeting programme is always diverse and typically includes topics such as the following: clinical medicine and surgery, public health, global health, medical humanities, history of medicine, medical ethics, personal experience and talks by experts in specific fields. Meetings normally take place face-to-face and are delivered live online. Please note that attendees under the age of eighteen must be accompanied by a responsible adult. For reasons of fire safety, all attendees are required to sign a register before entering the lecture hall. Staff/students at the Royal Sussex County Hospital and Brighton and Sussex Medical School do not need to book a seat in the lecture hall. These are offered on a first come first served basis.
We are one of the oldest medico-chirurgical societies in England and strive to preserve this important tradition. New members are always welcome. (see ‘Join’ link at top of page)
