A consultant surgeon at Shropshire’s specialist orthopaedic hospital has spent just over two weeks touring around India as part of the prestigious Copeland Fellowship.

Mr Cormac Kelly, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, was awarded one of three surgeon places on the fellowship which is run by the British Elbow and Shoulder Society (BESS).

The Copeland Fellowship is described as an aspirational international fellowship for members of BESS who have an established or emerging national and international reputation.

The delegation consisted of three Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons and a Specialist Physiotherapist.

Mr Kelly, who specialises in shoulder surgery, said: “The fellowship involved lecturing at international conferences in Delhi, Pune and Chennai over the 16-day period as well as visiting hospitals and local landmarks.

“We were invited to the conferences by the International Society for Knowledge for Surgeons on Arthroscopy and Arthroplasty (ISKSAA), the Shoulder and Elbow Society of India (SESI) and the IndoBritish Health Initiative in Chennai.

“We also spent time at St Stephens Hospital in Delhi at the invitation of Dr Mathew Varghese, an internationally acclaimed orthopaedic surgeon, where we saw the amazing surgery on polio victims enabling them to walk after years of disability.”

Each fellow on the programme was required to prepare around 15 presentations relevant to shoulder and elbow surgery as well as being involved in discussion groups and expert panels.

Mr Kelly added: “We cemented new international relationships between the shoulder and elbow surgical communities in India and the UK, which we hope will lead to further collaborative projects and meetings.

“The schedule was intense with lectures and presentations but overall the fellowship was a fantastic experience of amazing India and its people. I am still on a high.”

Mr Steve White, medical director, said: “We are delighted that Cormac has been awarded this fantastic opportunity to both see India and contribute from his vast experience to many surgeons and groups of healthcare workers in India.

“This is the second of our Consultants so far this year who have been awarded prestigious international fellowships – one of whom is still touring North America and again representing this Trusts expertise in leading musculoskeletal care.”