SurgTech Conference 2025

Thursday, 3rd April – Friday, 4th April 2025

The Queens Hotel | City Square, Leeds

We plan to host a SurgTech conference every year which will be a two-day event bringing together industry, academics, clinical, funding bodies as well as members of the public working in the field of HealthTech. In previous years we have attracted over 200 delegates and it is our aim to improve on this.

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SurgTech 2025 aims to follow the MedTech innovation pipeline from clinical need to clinical adoption in the NHS, including keynote talks and interactive sessions from leading experts. This year we are organising the programme around the “3 shifts” in the NHS 10-year plan focusing on how MedTech can deliver: sickness to prevention; analogue to digital; hospital to community.  We will have parallel sessions on: market access; clinical and economic evaluation; healthcare Inequalities; sustainability and NHS Net Zero; regulatory challenges and public and patient involvement.This exciting two-day event will bring together clinical academics, allied health professionals, researchers from the engineering and physical sciences, methodologists, public and patients, industry, and experts in market access, medical device regulation and commercialisation in a truly multi-disciplinary forum to build networks, explore opportunities for new collaborations.


Speakers

 

David Lawson, Director of MedTech DHSC

Professor Phil Wood, Chief Executive LTHT

  Paul Fisher, Director of Policy and Programmes at the British In Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA)

Responsible for BIVDA’s government affairs, policy development, and advocacy work.

Before joining BIVDA, Paul was a senior Civil Servant with the UK Health Security Agency and the Department of Health and Social Care, specialising in the delivery of significant government health programmes.  He led the LAMP testing workstream during the pandemic, including mobile processing units testing specialist use cases and the prison testing workstream.

At UKHSA, Paul led diagnostic programmes including the COVID Test Device Approval (CTDA) team regulating tests for SARS-COV-2, and a diagnostic response to a potential H5N1 pandemic.  He was a qualified Incident Director in UKHSA’s role as a responder under the Civil Contingences Act.

Before joining the civil service, Paul worked in business transformation, assisting SMEs’ achieve growth or efficiency improvements, after over fifteen years in the emergency services.

Professor Geoff Hall, Clinical Lead for DATA-CAN

Rob Webster, Chief Executive NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board

Professor Carl Thompson, Applied Health Research 

Professor Thompson joined Leeds in 2015 from the University of York. His research portfolio reflects his interests in how professionals use technology and information in their judgements and choices and how to get health technologies working more effectively quickly. He established the first Anglo-Dutch MSc in Evidence Based Practice and led the Translating Research into Practice in Leeds and Bradford (TRiPLaB) theme in the first NIHR ARC for Yorkshire and Humber. During the pandemic he led the NIHR’s Covid-19 Recovery and Learning (HTA-funded) CONTACT study of digital contact tracing in care homes, worked with the PROTECTCovid-19 core research study in care homes and the national CONDOR study of point of care testing in community settings. Professor Thompson is an experienced NHS Trust Non-Executive Director and mentors NEDs faced with innovating in care environments safely. He provides scientific advice to Australian, Canadian, US and Dutch research funders. He has been part of research teams on more than £20m, published 3 books on Decision Making and Judgement and evaluation in healthcare professions; and has more than 130 peer reviewed articles on decision and implementation science, knowledge translation, evidence-based practice, research methods and, most recently, care homes and epidemiology. He is an academic partner in NICHE-Leeds (https://niche.leeds.ac.uk/) and helped secure Leeds recent entry into the NIHR School for Social Care Research.

Gareth Evans, Commercial Strategy Director UK

Dr Neville Young, Director of Enterprise & Innovation Health Innovation Network Yorkshire and Humber 

Paul Tynan, E2 Tech

  Rebecca Randell is Professor of Digital Innovations in Healthcare at the University of Bradford and Director of the Centre for Digital Innovations in Health & Social Care.

The Centre was awarded £4.86m from Research England’s Expanding Excellence in England fund, recognising the excellence of its research and supporting its rapid expansion. Rebecca’s research is concerned with studying how healthcare professionals work to design technologies that support rather than disrupt their practice and studying how technology is used in real-world settings. She has explored a range of healthcare environments and technologies, including robotic surgery, and is currently leading a work package for the NIHR-funded EVEREST-HN Programme Grant. This involves co-designing the patient- and clinician-facing components of a patient-reported symptom-based risk stratification system for suspected head and neck cancer referrals.

 Dr Kerrie Davies MBE FRCPath, Clinical Scientist, Infections

Kerrie Davies is an NIHR Clinical Lecturer, Principal Clinical Scientist, she was the Deputy Lead for Infection on the NIHR Leeds MedTech Invitro Diagnostics Cooperative (MIC), and is currently Co-lead for the Early Diagnosis and Personalised Care  theme of the HealthTech Research Centre, and Deputy theme lead within the Infection and AMR theme of the NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), within the Healthcare Infections Research Group at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Honorary Associate Professor of diagnostic for infectious disease at University of Leeds; Senior Scientific Advisor to the Office of the Chief Scientific Officer at NHS England; Co-chair Empower Leeds Women, and Education lead for the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease study group committee for C. difficile. During the pandemic she was seconded first into DHSC, and then UKHSA, to lead on validating COVID-19 diagnostic assays, then contributing to writing and setting up, then operationalising new regulatory legislation (Coronavirus Test Device Approval 2021) for COVID-19 test devices.

Kerrie has been researching in vitro diagnostics for >20 years, both nationally and internationally, including defining the optimal C. difficile testing algorithm which was adopted in the UK and recommended in European, American, and Australasian testing guidelines.  She has a passion for the impact of research on patients and healthcare, and in particular supporting Healthcare Scientists in research careers and was awarded CSO Healthcare Scientist of the year in 2021 for her work on COVID-19 diagnostics.

Professor Andrew Clegg, Geriatric Medicine

Dr Jane Townson OBE, Chief Executive Homecare Association

Panellists

Analogue to Digital

Owen Johnson, Academic and Consultant in Health Informatics

Gareth Evans, Commercial Strategy Director UK

Cameron Dockerill Hypervision Surgical

Anastasia Chalkidou, Programme Director, Guidance Delivery, Healthtech Centre for Health Technology Evaluation, NICE

Professor Mehdi Tavakoli, Knowledge Transfer Manager NHS Infrastructure & Therapies

  Mr Ryan Mathew, HRC Theme 2 Co-Lead

Ryan Mathew is an Associate Professor at the University of Leeds and an Honorary Consultant Neurosurgeon at Leeds Teaching Hospitals. His clinical practice covers the full spectrum of general neurosurgery with a subspecialty interest in brain tumours; in particular gliomas, meningiomas and awake surgery. After completing his PhD in Glioma Stem Cells and Organoids, and spending time at the Brain Tumour Research Centre at Sickkids in Toronto he began co-leading the Stem Cells and Brain Tumour Lab Group where his focus is on translational approaches to technologies that deliver local therapeutic treatments.

As Neurosurgery Lead for the NIHR Surgical MedTech Cooperative, NIHR Surgical Technologies Academy Incubator and Royal College of Surgeons of England Leeds Institute of Clinical Trials Research, he also leads a research portfolio in surgical technologies and devices which encompasses virtual/mixed reality, machine learning/AI, real-time intra-operative tumour visualisation and histology, and local therapeutic delivery. He is Health Lead for Leeds XR, the Basic/Translational Science Lead for the Academic Committee of the Society of British Neurological Surgeons, member of the British Neuro-Oncology Society Research Subcommittee, a HoloMedicine Association Founding Member and Core Committee member of the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission Novel Therapeutics Accelerator.

He has published numerous papers, is an internationally invited speaker and teaching faculty, peer-reviews for a number of journals and grant award committees, and has obtained > £8M in grant funding.

   Steve Bagshaw, Grand Challenge Lead, CPI

Steve is responsible for Digital Health at CPI, his expertise lies in the commercialisation of medical devices and their integration with digital technologies. Steve has overseen and delivered on a number of successful public and private programmes at CPI, helping new research ideas develop from prototype and through to commercial deployment. Clients include industries such as automotive, aerospace, defence, packaging and MedTech in particular. These projects involve working with companies of all sizes from both the public and private sector ranging from large device companies, innovative SMEs, academia and the NHS.

Previously Steve has held Business Development, Marketing and Strategy roles at CPI. Prior to joining CPI in 2008, Steve studied Business Studies at Northumbria University and holds an Executive MBA (with distinction) from Warwick Business School.

Sickness to Prevention

Addie MacGregor, Sustainability Manager, Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI)

Prof Mehdi Tavakoli Knowledge Transfer Manager- NHS Infrastructure, MedTech and Therapies

Hospital to Community

   Adam Peckham-Cooper, Sustainability Theme Co-Lead

Co-lead along with Professor Pete Culmer for the sustainability cross cutting theme within the Leeds Heathtech Research Centre. It is an exciting time for innovation and technology within the sustainable healthcare delivery space and we have ambitious plans to engage with our industry partners and colleagues to deliver real progress in this area.

Adams clinical focus is as an Emergency General Surgeon with a focus on the delivery of unplanned surgical care admissions. He is passionate about improving healthcare for this traditionally underserved patient cohort and works hard to deliver new and dynamic pathways to put patients in the right place at the right time, first time. Additionally using ambulatory pathways and initiatives such as the virtual ward means patients can be managed in their own home environment.

He is focussed on the delivery of sustainable and green options in surgery working hard towards the future net zero targets. As such I led a Leeds based team to victory in a national competition ‘Green Surgery Challenge’ co-hosted by the Centre for Sustainable Health and Royal College of Surgeons (Eng). Looking at the delivery of net-zero laparoscopic surgery thereafter has allowed me to bring my knowledge to the delivery of surgical techniques across a spectrum of presentations. Adam works closely with NHSE and other partners in this area and have presented internationally on the subject.

Adam trained in Liverpool as a post-graduate having completed initially a BSc in Pharmacology. As part of his studies’ he spent a year working with the pharmaceutical firm, Pfizer. He subsequently pursued surgical training throughout the Yorkshire region. He completed a research MD focussed on using oncolytic viruses to treat metastatic cancers and I have published widely in a number of areas including in high impact journals and authored a number of book chapters.

Rob Webster, Chief Executive NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board

Breakout Sessions

Health Economics Session on SimSurg Model, David Meads / Armando Vargas-Palacios

Identifying and addressing Health Inequalities Session, Sunil Daga and Abi Wilson (EMRI)

Surgical Care Observatory Session,  Helen Hughes / Emma  Findlay

Device Access UK Ltd

Michael Branagan-Harris, HealthTech Strategist, HealthTech Strategies Limited, John West Chief Commercial Officer

Speed Up Adoption: Sell the Problem you solve, Not the Product

Join this high-impact panel and discover battle-tested strategies used by leading UK HealthTech companies to get your technology to patients faster and your technology purchased faster.

Harness the power of Hepisodes®, a groundbreaking interactive cloud pathway tool designed to connect you directly with senior NHS Hospital decision-makers. Unlike traditional routes through clinicians, theatre managers, and procurement, Hepisodes® aligns your technology with NHS pressures, slashing the time from first clinical engagement to purchase order.

You’ll gain insider knowledge on leveraging waiting list data, real-world NHS hospital activity, and business case insights—key elements to accelerate hospital buy-in, fast-track hospital approvals, and establish yourself as a long-term NHS partner to your customers .

Patient and Public Involvement, HRC and Hodgkinson McCambridge

Clinical Trials Evaluation, HRC Deborah Stocken / Julie Croft

Regulatory challenges of developing digital technologies, HealthTech Incubator

Innovation for Healthcare Net Zero Accelerator Programme Launch, HRC, Pd-m, Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber

Avoiding AI’s Ethical Minefield, Rowan Hirst SmartAI

MedTech Foundation, Manpreet Thakur

NHS Insights & Innovation Pop up, Richard Evans / Moninder Bhogal

The Commercialisation Journey: from a University and NHS Trust Perspective, Mattia Scalabrin / Blake Prime / Amy Contreras, Research & Innovation, UoL

This breakout session will cover a brief introduction of how both the University of Leeds and the Innovation Pop-up at LTHT approach commercialisation. Presenters from each will work through a lived example. The session will conclude with an opportunity for Q+A.

Value Based Procurement, Briony Coulson, Department of Health and Social Care (England)

Industry HealthTech Showcases

Stryker

Revolution zero

SimpliMedica

Intuitive Surgical

Ortotec Finland

HyperVision Surgical

Sponsors

Platinum

Gold

Silver

       

Exhibitors 

                 

                   

Sponsor Testimonials

“We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support over the past few years, it’s been a pleasure working with you“. Tom Burton, Current Health

BVM found the presentations interesting and the interest from delegates of our technology was good but in terms of any business there is no business gain other than publicity to the wider people in healthcare.

The organisation of SurgTech was excellent and thorough. The team are incredibly helpful and hard working to make everything satisfactory for the delegates and exhibitors“. Jayesh Tailor, BVM Medical

HoloCare was delighted to be part of the SurgTech conference and exhibition. The convivial setting made for great interaction between clinicians / surgeons and industry. The talks were informative and engaging and we would be keen to attend again.” Malcolm Luker, Commercial Director—HoloCare AS, Managing Director—HoloCare Ltd

“The SurgTech 2024 conference really targeted the clinical operational and procurement community.  The presentations and workshops were focused on real-world experiences in work with new technologies for surgery.  There was great interaction amongst suppliers as well which led to collaborative conversations with NHS and supplies as a community.  We found it very rewarding and are planning on supporting the conference again for 2025.  There is probably no higher endorsement than our position of wanting to come back for more” . Dr Tom Dawson , Founder, Revolution-ZERO

The SurgTech 2024 conference was both insightful in the quality of the speakers and on how to navigate the SurgTech space including relating to regulatory steps and clinical trials. It was a delight to be amongst the Leeds area ecosystem (& beyond) and cement EarSwitch Ltd’s links here, and the networking has been invaluable. Having a stand and the benefit of presenting our EarMetrics-Oximeter to the audience, was a massive bonus; enabling us to spread our message of the importance of developing racially inclusive and more reliable oximetry to all“. Nick Gompertz, EarSwitch

“SurgTech 2024 brought together academics, industry leaders, and clinicians for some really engaging conversations. Sheila Boyes made everything easy with smooth and professional communication in the lead-up to the event, which made for a seamless and well-organized experience. I highly recommend it!” Jaye Sawai, Brandon Medical

“Pd-m we’re excited to be returning to the SurgTech conference, over the years it’s become a real fixture in our diary as it’s always a popular event, bringing together a broad spectrum of delegates from both industry as well as clinical and research areas. This year’s event was the best yet, with a large conference room as well as a busy exhibition space all in the heart of Leeds making travel very easy. The breakout sessions that were held in the afternoons were a real success and allowed delegates with a specific interest to do a deep dive into a topic and ask the experts questions, fostering lots of debate. As a Yorkshire based business we’re really proud to have an event of this size and nature right in our backyard, and we appreciate the work of the NIHR team to pull it all together!” Rich Shaw, Pd-m

 “I would happily recommend SurgTech with its impressive makeup of early stage innovation technologies and the established ecosystem of funders, entrepreneurs and subject specialists to drive their development. Working with Sheila and the team on exhibition was exceptionally easy, both in terms of pre-meeting organisation and with lots of help at the event itself to ensure we were as successful as possible”. James Field, Advanced Medical Solutions

“SurgTech was an extremely well organised event providing us with the opportunity to liaise with clinicians showcasing our latest technology and innovations”. Karen Chilcott, GI Intervention & Oncology | Senior Territory Manager and Marketing Lead, Aquilant Ltd

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tickets

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SurgTech 2025 Exhibitor Registration
Register your interest to exhibit at SurgTech 2025. Exhibition Stand is £500 The stands are 2x4ft tables with space for roller banners and will be situated around the perimeter of the networking area. If you require more space for product demonstration purposes, then please contact hrc-surgical@leeds.ac.uk.
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