David Nott
{{Short description|Welsh consultant surgeon}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox medical person
|name = David Nott
|honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=UK|OBE|OStJ|FRCS}}
|image = David Nott addressing the Keep Her Safe conference in 2013.jpg
|caption = Addressing the "Keep Her Safe" conference, November 2013
|birth_name = David Malcolm Nott
|birth_date = {{birth year and age|1956}}
|birth_place = Carmarthen, Wales
|education = Hulme Grammar School, University of St Andrews, University of Manchester
|profession = Surgeon
|specialism = General surgery, vascular surgery
|research_field =
|known_for = Working as a volunteer surgeon in war zones
|work_institutions = Charing Cross; Chelsea and Westminster; St Mary's; Royal Marsden
|prizes = Robert Burns Humanitarian Award (2016)
}}
David Malcolm Nott {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE|OStJ|FRCS}} (born 1956) is a Welsh consultant surgeon who mainly works in London hospitals as a general and vascular surgeon, but also volunteers to work in disaster and war zones. Having recognised that training others could greatly increase his capacity to help, Nott established the David Nott Foundation, along with his wife, to organise training in emergency surgery for others working in war and disaster zones.{{cite news |last1=O'Kelly |first1=Lisa |title=War doctor David Nott: 'The adrenaline was overpowering' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/feb/24/david-nott-interview-war-doctor-surgeon-syria-gaza |access-date=3 June 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=24 February 2019}} He has been honoured for this work, and has been called the "Indiana Jones of surgery".
Education and family
Nott was born in Carmarthen in 1956 and lived with his grandparents at Trelech, near Carmarthen, until the age of four. He then lived in the Midlands and Rochdale from where he attended Hulme Grammar School. His father, Malcolm George Nott, was born in Burma and educated in Madras, India, and was half-Indian and half-Burmese.{{cite web|title=Nott, Malcome George|url=http://livesonline.rcseng.ac.uk/biogs/E001560b.htm|publisher=Royal College of Surgeons |access-date=20 September 2016}} He was an orthopaedic and trauma surgeon, specialising in hip replacement; his mother, born Yvonne Jones, was a nurse from Wales. His father encouraged Nott to follow him into a medical career, and also inspired his son's later war work by taking him to see the 1984 film The Killing Fields.
Nott was not successful at school initially but, after resitting his A-Levels, he studied medicine at the universities of St Andrews and Manchester, graduating in 1981.
As a child, often left on his own, Nott was fascinated with building model aircraft and later learned to fly, gaining both a private pilot licence and a commercial pilot licence. He became an air transport pilot and flew for Hamlin Jet in Luton, as a side job, for about ten years.{{cite book |last1=Nott |first1=David |title=War Doctor |date=2019 |isbn=9781509837038 |pages=Flying In chapter}}
Surgery
During his medical training in Manchester and Liverpool, he was attracted to surgery. He took a special interest in vascular surgery after watching a Liverpool surgeon, Peter Harris, save someone by operating on their ruptured aortic aneurysm. He combined this with general surgery, practising at London hospitals including Charing Cross, Chelsea and Westminster, St Mary's and the Royal Marsden. As a vascular surgeon, he specialises in keyhole techniques, especially for repairs of abdominal aortic aneurysms, and distal arterial bypasses. In 1999, he was the first surgeon in the world to perform a femoral-popliteal bypass using only laparoscopic techniques. His other work includes appendectomies; hernia repairs; removal of lipomas and haemorrhoids; and treatment of varicose veins using ligation or sclerotherapy.
He began working in disaster and war zones in 1993, when he saw footage of the war in Sarajevo. He has worked in disaster and war zones for several weeks each year since then, working as a volunteer surgeon for agencies such as Médecins Sans Frontières and the Red Cross. He has also served in a similar capacity for the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, where he holds the rank of wing commander.
The locations of his work have included Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chad, Darfur, Gaza, Haiti, Iraq, Libya, Sierra Leone and opposition-held areas of Syria. Between 2013 and 2014 Nott trained and assisted medical students and other doctors to conduct trauma surgeries in opposition-held East Aleppo.{{cite magazine|last1=Taub|first1=Ben|title=Syria's War on Doctors|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/06/27/syrias-war-on-doctors|access-date=20 September 2016|magazine=The New Yorker|date=27 June 2016}}
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, he visited Ukraine to train surgeons, in conjunction with UOSSM International.{{cite news |last1=Faulkner |first1=Doug |title=David Nott: The war surgeon helping doctors save lives in Ukraine |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61195923 |website=BBC News |date=23 April 2022 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=24 April 2022 }}
David Nott Foundation
On a mission to Libya, Nott began to realise that many of the medical staff there were not trained for the kinds of traumatic injuries they were encountering. He began running a Definitive Surgical Trauma Skills workshop for his colleagues in the hospital.{{cite news |last1=Beckerman |first1=Hannah |title=War surgeon David Nott: 'To skirt death and survive is euphoric' |url=https://www.ft.com/content/0d91f314-349e-11e9-bd3a-8b2a211d90d5 |access-date=3 June 2019 |publisher=Financial Times |date=22 February 2019}} This experience, in part, led to Nott setting up the David Nott Foundation in 2015, along with his wife Elly, who led the charity as Chief Executive until 2019.{{cite web |title=Elly Nott |url=https://davidnottfoundation.com/elly-nott-biography/ |website=David Nott Foundation |access-date=3 June 2019}} The foundation is aimed at assisting with the training of surgeons for areas of conflict.{{Cite web |title=David Nott Foundation |url=https://davidnottfoundation.com/ |access-date=2022-04-25 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Jason |date=2022-06-18 |title=Welsh war surgeon helping to save lives on the frontline in Ukraine |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/ukraine-war-welsh-surgeon-nott-24260956 |access-date=2022-06-21 |website=WalesOnline |language=en}}
The David Nott Foundation provides surgical training for doctors and nurses who work in war and disaster zones. The training courses focus on life-saving surgical procedures for austere environments, with doctors given the opportunity to practice on real bodies, supported by other resources, including videos and anatomical models.{{cite news |last1=Nott |first1=Elly |title=David Nott Foundation STAE scholarship course |url=https://www.hippocraticpost.com/call-of-duty/david-nott-foundation-stae-scholarship-course/ |access-date=3 June 2019 |publisher=The Hippocratic Post |date=10 February 2019}} The courses are run with the Royal College of Surgeons for five days every six months and are funded by the foundation through a scholarship scheme for surgeons working in hostile conditions.{{cite news |last1=Pyke |first1=Chris |title=War surgeon David Nott, the man who won't be cowed by Islamic State or the world's most dangerous places |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/war-surgeon-david-nott-man-15936042 |access-date=3 June 2019 |publisher=Wales Online |date=14 March 2019}}
These courses are also delivered on the front line, where doctors are unable to leave their posts, and have been held in Yemen, Libya and Iraq, among others.{{cite web |title=Our Work |url=https://davidnottfoundation.com/ourwork/ |website=David Nott Foundation |access-date=3 June 2019 |archive-date=3 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603113414/https://davidnottfoundation.com/ourwork/ |url-status=dead }} The front line Hostile Environment Surgical Training courses (HEST) last for four days. They focus on a wide range of skills, including treating gun shot wounds and carrying out vascular surgery, with the help of a full-body simulator.{{cite web |last1=Milligan |first1=Ivar |title=Kenya HEST April 2019 |url=https://davidnottfoundation.com/hest-in-kenya/ |website=David Nott Foundation |access-date=3 June 2019}} The simulator is an accurate model of the human body and can be used to demonstrate various procedures.{{cite web |last1=Milligan |first1=Ivar |title=February 2019 Newsletter |url=https://davidnottfoundation.com/february-2019-newsletter/ |website=David Nott Foundation |access-date=3 June 2019}}
In 2022, the foundation provided surgical training for areas of conflict in Ukraine, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.{{Cite web |last=David Nott Foundation |date=2022-03-10 |title=Frontline online surgical course for Ukraine |url=https://www.hippocraticpost.com/call-of-duty/frontline-online-surgical-course-for-ukraine/ |access-date=2022-06-21 |website=The Hippocratic Post |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |date=2022-03-11 |title=The British surgeons training Ukrainian doctors to treat war injuries via Zoom |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2022-03-11/the-british-surgeons-training-ukrainian-doctors-to-treat-war-injuries-via-zoom |access-date=2022-06-21 |website=ITV News |language=en}}
Honours and awards
Nott was admitted as a fellow to the Royal College of Surgeons in 1989. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours.{{london gazette|issue=60173|date=16 June 2012|page=6|supp=y}} In 2016 he received the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award and the Pride of Britain Award. He received honorary degrees from the University of Salford in 2015,{{cite news |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/courteeners-frontman-liam-fray-dons-9664152 |title=Courteeners frontman Liam Fray dons cap and gown at Salford University |first=Charlotte |last=Dobson |date=15 July 2015 |access-date=24 April 2022}} from the University of St Andrews in 2017,{{cite news |url=https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/fife/452026/python-heads-honorary-degree-list/ |title=Python heads honorary degree list |first=Leeza |last=Clark |work=The Courier |date=20 June 2017 |access-date=24 June 2017}} and was given an honorary doctorate by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in July 2017.{{Cite news |date=3 July 2017 |title=Syria war surgeon David Nott gets honorary degree |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-40485553 |access-date=24 April 2022}} Nott was shortlisted for the RSL Christopher Bland Prize for his book War Doctor in 2020.{{Cite web|last=Comerford|first=Ruth|date=2020-07-02|title=Michele Kirsch wins £10,000 RSL Christopher Bland Prize|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/michele-kirsch-wins-10000-rsl-christopher-bland-prize-1209281#|access-date=2020-08-06|website=The Bookseller}}
Personal life
In 2015 Nott married Eleanor. They have a daughter. His wife worked for the Institute of Strategic Studies before taking on her role with the foundation.
In 2014 he had lunch with the Queen. When he found it difficult to speak about his traumatic experiences, she put him at ease by inviting him to take twenty minutes (and some dog biscuits) to befriend her corgis. In 2016 Nott appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07djzyq?ns_mchannel=social& |title=BBC Radio 4 – Desert Island Discs, David Nott |publisher=BBC |date=5 June 2016 |access-date=11 June 2016}} Also in 2016 he spoke of his Christian faith on BBC1's Victoria Derbyshire.[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05qqk5c Victoria Derbyshire Show] at 10:05 on 1 November 2016.[https://archive.org/details/BBCNEWS_20161101_090000_Victoria_Derbyshire/start/3420/end/3480 Pride of Britain winners 2016] BBC1 Victoria Derbyshire Show, 1 November 2016 – at archive.org In 2020 he appeared in Christmas University Challenge in the Manchester team.{{YouTube|BXlpehdhg-s|Final University Challenge Christmas 2020 Courtauld Institute of Art v Manchester}}
Publications
- {{citation |title=Conflict and Catastrophe Medicine: A Practical Guide |publisher=Springer |year=2014 |isbn=9781447129271}}
- {{citation |title=War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line|publisher=Picador |year=2019 |isbn=9781509837038}} In February 2019, War Doctor was BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week.{{cite episode| title= Book of the Week: War Doctor| series= Book of the Week | credits= Reader: David Nott; Abridger: Richard Hamilton; Producer: Elizabeth Allard | network=[BBC| station= BBC Radio 4| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002rjb| airdate= 25 February 2019| access-date= 28 February 2019 }}
References
External links
- [http://davidnottfoundation.com/ The David Nott Foundation] – his charitable foundation which provides medical training for disasters and wars
- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07djzyq Desert Island Discs] – his favourite records and interview by Kirsty Young, first broadcast on 5 June 2016
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nott, David}}
Category:Alumni of the University of Manchester
Category:Alumni of the University of St Andrews
Category:Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Category:People educated at Oldham Hulme Grammar School
Category:People from Carmarthen
Category:British vascular surgeons
Category:Royal Air Force Medical Service officers
Category:British people of Burmese descent
Category:Welsh people of Indian descent
Category:Welsh people of Burmese descent
Category:People associated with the University of Salford
Category:People associated with University of Wales Trinity Saint David