Paul Banaszkiewicz

Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead

Paul graduated from Glasgow University, completing his basic SHO surgical training in the Merseyside Deanery and then undertook specialist registrar training on the North East of Scotland training programme.  He was appointed as Hip and Knee arthroplasty surgeon at Queen Elizabeth hospital Gateshead in 2004.

He is passionate about training and medical education being a fellow of Higher Education Academy, fellow Academy of Medical Educators and has a Master’s degree in Medical Education.

He is an RCSEng member for the appointments accreditation committee (AAC) and RCSEng quality assurance and accreditation assessor for courses seeking RCSEng course accreditation. 

Paul is visiting professor at Northumbria University this role acts as an interface between the academic roles Northumbria University provides and his own clinical oriented background that provides a practical focus for research.

He has been a strong supporter of the BOA Futures Leadership Programme and the BOA annual Travelling Fellowships.  He is a keen supporter of BOTA being regularly involved with their annual instructional course and sponsor of BOTA travelling fellowships. 

Paul is the main editor and author for three FRCS (Tr&Orth) related exam books that are international best sellers and have won several BMA book awards.  He co-ordinates an annual six-day intensive FRCS (Tr&Orth) revision course at Newcastle. In recent years Paul has run its international equivalent for overseas trainees with courses taking place in Dubai, India, Singapore and Jordan. 

For many years Paul was involved in humanitarian work in Northern Iraq regularly visiting the region to undertake neglected hip and knee arthroplasty surgery.  This gave him a greater appreciation and understanding of our own health care system.  Many patients would have continued to struggle due to a lack of local expertise and resources to pay for expensive surgery.

Through the contacts he has made overseas Paul is keen to develop the international profile of the BOA.

In his spare time, Paul is a keen runner, skier, gardener and Burnley FC fan.

Sarah Nellis

Trauma Nurse Specialist, James Cook Hospital, Middlesbrough

Sarah is a Trauma Nurse Specialist at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough. 

She has many years of nursing experience in providing care for trauma and orthopaedic patients. Beginning her career as a Healthcare Assistant on the Trauma Ward at Middlesbrough General Hospital in 1993 before qualifying as a registered nurse in 1998, progressing to Trauma Ward Manager at James Cook Hospital in 2012. 

Since 2016, after achieving MSc Advanced Clinical Assessment and Non-Medical Prescribing qualifications, Sarah has advanced her role to that of Trauma Co-ordinator / Trauma Nurse Practitioner.  

The role involves working with the on-call team organising the daily running of the trauma service combined with providing clinical care for injured patients within the ward and outpatient settings.  

Sarah runs a twice weekly nurse-led out-patient clinic for review of patients including those attending for their initial post-operative assessment, for follow up after non-operatively managed fractures with X-Ray surveillance or provide rapid access clinical assessment for patients contacting with concerns or complication after discharge. 

As a BOA qualified casting practitioner Sarah works with her plaster room colleagues in providing teaching sessions to Emergency Department staff on the principles and practice of safe and effective cast application. 

Having a special interest in limb reconstruction Sarah works closely with her Ortho-plastics and Microbiology colleagues to co-ordinate and provide continuity of care for patients receiving complex, multidisciplinary care following trauma, deformity correction and infection.