Doctoral student Cara Swain is a rising star!
Doctoral student Cara Swain at the Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics is a rising Star! As one of five winners in the Defence category 2024 Rising Star Awards she gets praised!
Nomination
Cara Swain, Medical Officer in the Royal Navy and Founder of the Royaumont Forum, is recognised for her exceptional dedication to medical education, mentorship, and advocacy for cultural change within the military and medical communities.
Cara Swain
Phd StudentInterview from the WeAreTheCity's Rising Stars Award 2024
After graduating in 2012, I worked as a Foundation Doctor for two years at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, before deploying as a ship’s doctor (General Duties Medical Officer) on four different ships to locations including the Arabian Gulf, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and the South Atlantic from 2014-2017. During this time, I used my experiences to complete a postgraduate diploma in Global & Remote Healthcare, and discovered my passion for education and training through the provision of medical training to military personnel.
In 2017, I commenced surgical training in Southwest England, with the aim to qualify as a Trauma & Emergency general surgeon.
I advocate for using education as a catalyst for change in areas including harm reduction in trauma medicine, professional sociocultural improvement and gender equality.
I established the Royaumont Forum in 2022, an organisation designed to foster collegiality and provide networking and informal mentoring opportunities to Royal Navy Medical Officers, particularly those who are in training.
During the last three years, I have been undertaking a PhD in the field of medical education at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. My research explores the use of live animal simulation in relation to learning to manage complex surgical trauma, and has involved a novel international multi-sited study of surgical simulation training with military and civilian medical professionals.
WeAreTheCity is an integral and trusted part of the ecosystem working towards gender balance in the UK. They bring together Government, Companies, Charities, Not for Profits, Schools and Academia to generate content and activities that hugely benefit the careers of working women.
The Rising Star awards were introduced to showcase the UK pipeline of female talent below management and to create female role models across different industries and professions. The awards were entered by over 1,300 individuals and were judged by a panel of over 40 independent judges. Additionally over 10,000 public votes were received.