Educator Studio Sessions
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Educator Studio Sessions
Please note all Educator Studio Sessions are recorded and will be available to be viewed below in Past Educator Studio Sessions for Academy of Surgical Educators members. To join the Academy, click here.
CPD Hours: This educational activity has been approved in the College's CPD program. Participants with a RACS Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirement can claim one hour of CPD under the Education category, which will be uploaded by RACS on your behalf.
Wednesday 21 May 2025
Time: 6pm - 7pm AEST
Topic: The Future of AI in Surgery
Presenter: Professor Mark Frydenberg
About the Topic:
Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to revolutionise the field of surgery. From enhancing surgical precision to streamlining pre- and post-operative care, AI presents unprecedented opportunities for improving patient outcomes and advancing medical education. However, it also raises important questions about regulation, safety, accountability, and the role of human judgment in healthcare. A balanced approach combining innovation with ethical safeguards is essential for the future of healthcare.
The use of AI in healthcare is not new, but its rapid evolution suggests it will play an increasing role in clinical care, training, research and surgery in the next five to 10 years.
In this presentation, Professor Frydenberg will provide insight into the current work RACS is undertaking, calling for the establishment of a comprehensive regulatory framework to guide the safe and responsible use of AI in healthcare.
About the Presenter:
Professor Mark Frydenberg is a Urological surgeon who graduated from the University of Melbourne, School of Medicine in 1982 and became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in Urology in 1990. He completed subspecialty training in urological cancer surgery at the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota in 1991-1992.
Upon returning to Australia, he worked at Royal Melbourne Hospital and Monash Health, becoming a Professor at Monash University in 1997 and at the same time being appointed as the Chairman of the Department of Urology at Monash Health, a position held for twenty years until 2017.
Professor Frydenberg has a long distinguished career in academic urology and was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2016 for his services to medicine. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles and secured more than $10 million in grants for urological cancer research in Australia.
Tuesday 3 June 2025
Time: 6pm - 7pm AEST
Topic: Keeping it together - navigating emotions in surgical practice
Presenter: Bruce Lister
About the Topic:
In the high-pressure environment of medical workplaces, healthcare professionals are expected to manage complex emotions while maintaining clinical objectivity. This dual demand fosters a potential disconnect, termed "professional alexithymia," where individuals appear to struggle to recognise, process, and express emotions effectively. While emotional intelligence and empathy are critical for patient outcomes and professional satisfaction, the medical field’s historic emphasis on cognitive detachment and emotional control has sidelined emotional literacy.
Medical education and practice often perpetuate emotional suppression through explicit expectations and a hidden curriculum that promotes stoicism. This cultural norm reinforces the belief that emotions interfere with clinical reasoning and decision-making, encouraging physicians to adopt a professional façade. This erosion of authentic emotional expression can compromise healthcare workers' well-being and diminish the quality of patient care.
Despite this, emotional literacy—defined as the ability to understand, express and regulate emotions—remains absent from most vocational training curricula. This gap perpetuates emotional avoidance behaviours, contributing to physician burnout, reduced empathy and job dissatisfaction. Addressing this issue requires integrating structured opportunities for emotional reflection and management into medical education.
This presentation delves into the metaphor of professional alexithymia to reveal the hidden dynamics of emotion in medical workplaces. It examines the far-reaching impacts of emotional suppression on clinicians, learners, and patient care, while advocating for a cultural and educational shift.
About the Presenter:
Bruce Lister AM MBBS FANZCA FCICM MBA MHPE
Bruce Lister is a retired paediatric anaesthetists/paediatric intensive care physician - with experience as a Director of Professional Affairs - Education and Training in the College of Intensive Care Medicine. His interests include health professions education in low resource settings e.g., involved in establishing postgraduate training programs in critical care medicine and paediatric life support in Pacific nations (PNG, Fiji, Timor Leste) and local faculty development for APLS, Paediatric BASIC and Paediatric BASIC for Nurses courses.
Currently a PhD candidate in the UQ Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences.