Speakers

Bio:

Dr. Nyiko Ntsako Mukansi-Makwela is a Specialist Orthopaedic Surgeon and founder of Dr NN Mukansi Inc., a leading orthopedic hub offering expert clinical and medicolegal services. A University of Pretoria alumna, she completed her MBChB in 2013 and qualified with both FC Orth (SA) and MMed in Orthopaedic Surgery in 2023. Originally from Tzaneen, Limpopo, she made history as the first black student at Hoërskool Ben Vorster to earn 7 distinctions. Passionate about changing lives through surgical care, she aspires to become a globally recognized Spine Surgeon and pursue a PhD. Dr. Mukansi-Makwela is supported by her husband and mentor, Dr. JT Makwela, also a Specialist Orthopaedic Surgeon.

Bio:

Dr. Fernando Gómez Verdejo is an orthopaedic surgeon from Mexico City, specializing in joint replacement and orthopaedic sports medicine, with a focus on hip and knee conditions. He graduated with honors from the Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Dr. Gómez Verdejo completed his orthopaedic residency at the Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación (INR), Mexico’s leading orthopaedic reference center, and subsequently pursued a fellowship in articular surgery at the same institution, where he currently serves as an attending orthopaedic surgeon. In addition to his role at INR, Dr. Gómez Verdejo maintains a private practice at Hospital Ángeles del Pedregal in Mexico City, where he specializes in joint replacement and sports medicine. Throughout his training, Dr. Gómez Verdejo completed an observership at Epworth Richmond Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and an International Fellowship at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush University in Chicago, USA.

Bio:

Mr. Shehzaad Khan (Shez) is a Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon specializing in sports and reconstructive knee surgery. He is double fellowship-trained and currently serves as a ringside medical officer for the British Boxing Board of Control.

Mr. Khan has trained under leading experts at Fortius Clinic, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, working alongside world-renowned surgeons including Mr. Andy Williams and Mr. Tim Spalding. His fellowship experience includes the care of elite athletes from the Premier League football and the Premiership rugby. His expertise spans advanced procedures such as knee osteotomy, meniscal allograft transplantation, and patellar realignment surgery.

Bio:

Mr. Tahir Khan is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, specialising in young adult hip conditions. With prior consultant experience at Central Manchester University Hospitals, he brings extensive expertise in lower limb and paediatric orthopaedic surgery.

Trained in Sheffield, Birmingham, and Manchester, Mr. Khan also completed prestigious fellowships in the USA, Canada, and Germany. His clinical interests include hip preservation, hip and knee arthroscopy, realignment osteotomies, and total hip replacement. He is particularly focused on managing hip pain in children, adolescents, and young adults, offering advanced procedures such as arthroscopic hip surgery and peri-acetabular osteotomies.Known for his patient-centred approach, Mr. Khan is committed to clear communication and shared decision-making.

Bio:

Dr Chindu Kabir, MD, MBA is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Post Op, a health-tech company based in London and Milan that delivers an AI-driven post‑operative care platform. His mission: to empower surgical patients and clinicians with digital tools that improve recovery, prevent complications, and close communication gaps.

Bio:

Katarzyna Fountoukidis is a Master of Physiotherapy with over 24 years of clinical experience in orthopaedic, neurological, and scoliosis therapy. An Advanced IPNFA® Instructor and Vice President of IPNFA Poland, she also serves as Secretary of the international IPNFA board. Certified in Orthopaedic Medicine (Cyriax) and the Mulligan Concept, she previously worked at John Paul II Hospital in Krakow. Currently, she leads TCR Habilitas, offering specialized, evidence-based physiotherapy. Her clinical focus includes scoliosis, gait, respiratory therapy, and complex rehabilitation. She is also pursuing a PhD on physiotherapy in idiopathic scoliosis.

Bio:

Melanie Moore is an Advanced Clinical Nurse Practitioner with colorectal and general surgery. An experienced nurse of 23 years plus she has worked on the wards as a health care assistant, staff nurse and surgical nurse practitioner, she is now the practitioner on a very busy surgical ward covering urology, breast, surgery, plastics and colorectal patients. With this wealth of experience, she helped develop the Enhanced Recovery Programme for colorectal/rectal surgery and bring down admission times with the team to become one of the top hospitals in the Midlands for their discharge times and safety. She has always been keen to involve herself in innovative ideas and the post op app was the icing on the cake to the very successful service they offer.