Crossing Boundaries: Surgery as a Site of Performance and Craftsmanship

This lecture explores surgery as a site of performance and craftsmanship as well as the application of scientific knowledge. Based on extended collaborations with musicians, magicians, puppeteers and craftsmen, Roger Kneebone identifies parallels between apparently unconnected domains of expert practice.  Much of Roger’s work uses simulation as a means to communicate what words alone cannot capture. Vivid scenarios invite publics to experience the world of surgery, taking part in operations performed by actual surgeons and their teams. By viewing clinical practice through these unorthodox lenses, Roger presents opens avenues for cross-disciplinary research and exploration, proposing that engagement through simulation can challenge our assumptions and lead to "reciprocal illumination" for all who take part.

About the Speaker

Roger Kneebone is Professor of Surgical Education and Engagement Science, Imperial College London. He leads the Imperial Centre for Engagement and Simulation Science (ICCESS) and the Royal College of Music/Imperial Centre for Performance Science. His multidisciplinary research builds on his personal experience as a surgeon and a general practitioner and his interest in domains of expertise beyond medicine.  Roger has built an unorthodox and creative team of clinicians, computer scientists, design engineers, social scientists, historians, artists, craftsmen and performers.  Roger has an international profile as an academic and innovator. He has been a Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellow since 2012 and in 2011 became a National Teaching Fellow.