An orthopaedic surgeon who works at Ealing Hospital has been elected to the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England – one of the highest honours in her field.
Samantha Tross was chosen by her peers and will help shape national policy on surgical training, safety, examinations and future development within the profession.
Ms Tross said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to be elected. I intend to take the role and responsibility seriously and be a credit to myself, the college, the trust and fellow surgeons at large.”
Her priorities in the new role include protecting time for surgical training, creating an inclusive working culture, and ensuring fairness and equity for the next generation of surgeons.
Originally from Guyana, Ms Tross arrived in the UK aged 11 and says her time at boarding school taught her independence and people skills that would shape her success.
She said: “I wasn’t aware I was the first black women to qualify as an orthopaedic surgeon at the time and it has never been an issue for me. I was lucky to come from a country – Guyana – where there were black people in positions of authority so didn’t think twice about setting my sights high.”
