Diplomatic Skills and Conflict Mediation for Physicians and Surgeons
7th May 2025, 19:00 to 20:30 BST
Overview
Surgeons and physicians may find themselves called upon to act as conciliators or mediators in conflict situations by dint of their medical and humanitarian work. The trust they inspire is often unparalleled. Notably, such trust may be shared unexpectedly amongst and across opposing and even belligerent parties. Most medical practitioners have not been trained to fulfil this role. Nevertheless, it is hard to turn away once asked.
Separately, surgeons and physicians operating in humanitarian, global, or public health setting, especially those where non-governmental organisations are prominently involved, discover that they must constantly and vigorously champion the best interests of their patients. This situation also calls upon advocacy and mediation skills rarely provided in undergraduate or postgraduate training.
This webinar introduces the core skills needed to function effectively in peace-making, mediating, negotiating and advocacy roles.
Aims
This webinar aims to teach core skills required by surgeons and physicians to function effectively when called upon to act as trusted peacemakers, conciliators, mediators, and patient advocates in humanitarian, global health, and conflict settings.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this webinar, the participant should be able to name and discuss core skills required to function effectively when called upon to act as a conciliating agent, a mediator, a peacemaker, or an advocate, particularly in humanitarian, global health and conflict-laden settings.
Panellists
Prof. Richard Ludlow English
CBE FBA MRIA FRSE FRHistE. Professor of History at Queen’s University Belfast and Director of the George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. Professor English's research focuses on the history of political violence, terrorism, and nationalism, with a particular focus on Ireland and Britain.
He is a Fellow of the British Academy, a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a Member of Academia Europaea, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, an Honorary Fellow of Keble College Oxford, a Faculty Affiliate at the University of Chicago, a Faculty Affiliate at Harvard University, and an Honorary Professor at the University of St Andrews. In 2018 he was awarded a CBE for services to the understanding of modern day terrorism and political history. In 2019 he was awarded the Royal Irish Academy Gold Medal in the Social Sciences.
Prof Aristomenis K. Exadaktylos
MD, MSc, FRCEM, FRCSEd. FRRHHEd, Chair and Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Inselspital - Univ. Hospital; Vice Dean of the Medical School of the University of Bern, Switzerland.
Professor Exadaktylos is certified in Anesthesia and Emergency Medicine. He holds adjunct professorships in Athens and Cyprus. He has published over 300 articles and multiple book chapters, and serves on multiple editorial boards. Among other places, he has worked in Ireland, the US, Cyprus and South Africa, has consulted in areas of conflict, and serves as an adviser to the South African Red Cross Air Mercy Service. He has special interests in international politics, history and philanthropy.
Prof. T. (Teo) Forcht Dagi
MD DmedSc DHC MPH MBA FRCSEd FRRHHEd FAANS FACS FCCM FS, Professor of Neurosurgery, the Mayo Alix College of Medicine and Science, Honorary Professor, Queen’s University Belfast and the William J. Clinton Leadership Institute. Deputy Chair of the SSB for neurosurgery. Honorary Consul. COL, Deputy Command Surgeon, the Georgia State Defence Force.
Prof T Forcht Dagi is Former Chair of The School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, and the School of Management, Queen’s University Belfast. He is the former Director of the Harvard-MIT Program in Biomedical Entrepreneurship. Former Special Assistant, US Department of Defense, and of the Office of the Administrative Conference of the US Congress. He is a Consultant in organisational strategy and innovation, conflict resolution, and tactical negotiations. His special interests are in head trauma, medical education, prevention of burnout, history of surgery, and the expanded role of physicians as conciliators and mediators. He has published over 250 chapters, articles and web-based seminars and several books, and serves on a number of editorial boards.
CPD
1.5 Hour
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Recording
A recording of the webinar will be made available on this page in the days following the live broadcast.
