What we can learn from two pioneering female surgeons

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Two leading UK surgeons, Averil Mansfield and Tamzin Cuming, shared their career experiences and advice at a King’s Health Partners event dedicated to women in surgery. The article highlights women’s underrepresentation in surgical training and Mansfield’s role in advancing opportunities for women surgeons.

Women have contributed to surgery for decades, but their presence is often overlooked. As of 2020, only 34.8% of surgical trainees were female compared with 56.6% in the broader trainee population.1In March 2025, in honour of women’s history month, the King’s Health Partners’ grand round was dedicated to women in surgery, and featured two trailblazing speakers: Averil Mansfield and Tamzin Cuming. They shared their insights, experiences, and advice for the next generation.The surgeonsProfessor Dame Averil Mansfield, a retired consultant vascular surgeon, was the first female professor of surgery in the UK. She had several roles at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, including vice president, and founded Women in Surgical Training (now Women in Surgery). During retirement she has held leadership roles and in 2012 was voted one of the “100 women who have changed the world” by the Independent on Sunday.Tamzin Cuming is a consultant colorectal surgeon and...