A CONSULTANT breast surgeon at Guildford’s Royal Surrey County Hospital beat off stiff competition to be singled out as the only UK surgeon offered a 2015 international guest scholarship with American College of Surgeons.

Tracey Irvine (pictured left) has been awarded $10,000 and will also attend the ACS?Congress in Chicagoo where she will be speaking on how we deliver oncoplastic breast cancer reconstruction surgical training in the UK.

“This is a fantastic opportunity, and the trust has been really supportive,” she said. “While I’m in the States I will be visiting several of the world’s leading cancer centres: The Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson, Memorial Sloan Kettering and Moffitt.

“One of my specialities is strattice reconstruction, which offers more natural results from an implant reconstruction.

“We already have the lowest complication rate in our network, but I am visiting Dr Colwell, in Massachusetts General, to see how we can improve on this. I will also be spending time with Dr Scott Spear, in Washington, who wrote the textbook on the oncoplastic techniques we all use.

“What I’m most excited about though, is the opportunity to gather information, ensuring we are following best practice in the UK, reinforcing our commitment to continuous improvement. I will also be establishing key links with the best clinicians in our field so the learning, interaction and best practice can continue long after this trip.”