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WELLCOME
COLLECTION STAGES FIRST EVER PUBLIC BROADCAST
OF LIVE SURGERY FROM UK HOSPITAL
Heart Surgeon Francis Wells
Broadcasts Live From Papworth Hospital To
Public Audience
The first ever public broadcast of a UK hospital
operation to a public audience will take place
at Wellcome Collection (www.wellcomecollection.org)
on Thursday 5 July 19.00-21.30hrs.
Press invitation: There are limited
places for press to attend the event. To book
your place please contact Will Kallaway or
Jo Williamson on 020 7221 7883 or email will.kallaway@kallaway.co.uk.
The broadcast will feature heart surgeon Francis
Wells and the team at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge
performing open-heart surgery. The satellite
link will allow the audience in London to
question the surgical team as they carry out
the complex reconstruction of a heart valve.
During the evening the audience of 220 people
will be able to inspect at close quarters
some of the equipment used in the operation
guided by members of the Papworth Hospital
medical team and heart surgeon Sam Nashef.
The event will provide insight into the impact
surgery will have on a patient's life, and
why preserving the natural heart valve, rather
than replacing it with an artificial one,
allows the heart to function more efficiently.
The event is linked to Wellcome Collection's
Heart exhibition and is run collaboration
with Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
The event is fully booked and is part of Wellcome
Collection's public events programme which
includes events ranging from Islam and medicine
through to a two day symposium exploring the
concept of emotions. Full event listings at:
www.wellcomecollection.org/exhibitionsandevents/events/index.asp
Francis Wells, heart surgeon at Papworth
Hospital said: "This interactive
broadcast is an opportunity to demystify surgery
and encourage more people to understand the
magnitude of what the heart is about and what
it does for us. It is the first organ to work
at conception and the last to die, yet how
much do we really know about its function?
The heart is a labyrinth of beauty, and I
believe the more people know about it, the
more they will appreciate what it takes to
maintain good health."
Lisa Jamieson, Events Manager, Wellcome
Collection, said: "This is a first
for the UK and for Wellcome Collection. The
broadcast will be a fascinating opportunity
to observe a major surgical procedure and
hear directly from experts whilst they are
working. It will give unparalleled insights
into an operating theatre and the skill and
expertise of those involved. It also encapsulates
the Wellcome Trust's vision of engaging the
public with medicine and its applications."
Wellcome Collection, opened on June 21,
is a world first. It combines three contemporary
galleries together with the world-famous Wellcome
Library, public events forum, café,
bookshop, conference centre and members' club,
to provide visitors with radical insight into
the human condition.
Wellcome Collection builds on the vision,
legacy and personal collection of Wellcome
Trust founder Sir Henry Wellcome, and is part
of the Trust's mission to foster understanding
and promote research to improve human and
animal health. Admission is free.
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Public information
contact details:
Wellcome Collection:
www.wellcomecollection.org
Wellcome Collection events: www.wellcomecollection.org/exhibitionsandevents/index.asp
Wellcome Collection
183 Euston Road
London NW1 2BE
T +44 (0)20 7611 2222
E info@wellcomecollection.org
Further Information:
Wellcome Collection
Wellcome Collection media centre and
images: www.kallaway.co.uk/wellcome.htm
Press contacts
Will Kallaway
T +44 (0)20 7221 7883
E will.kallaway@kallaway.co.uk
Jo Williamson
T +44 (0)20 7221 7883
E jo.williamson@kallaway.co.uk
Wellcome Trust
Wellcome Trust media centre:
www.wellcome.ac.uk/aboutus/mediaoffice
Press contacts:
Katrina Nevin-Ridley
T +44 (0)20 7611 8540/ 07973 481485
E k.nevin-ridley@wellcome.ac.uk
About the Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity
in the UK and the second largest medical
research charity in the world. It funds
innovative biomedical research, in the UK
and internationally, spending around £500
million each year to support the brightest
scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome
Trust supports public debate about biomedical
research and its impact on health and wellbeing.
Papworth Hospital
Press contacts
Katharine Boness
T +44 (0)1480 364 929
E Katharine.boness@papworth.nhs.uk
Morag Parsons
T +44 (0)1480 364 657
E morag.parsons@papworth.nhs.uk
About Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation
Trust
Papworth Hospital is the UK's largest provider
of specialist heart and lung services, notably
cardiology, respiratory medicine, cardiothoracic
surgery and heart and lung transplantation.
It treats over 20,000 in patient and day
cases and almost 30,000 outpatients each
year. Performing the UK's first heart transplant
in 1979 and pioneering the first transplant
of a "beating heart" in 2006,
Papworth Hospital has established global
renown as a clinical and research centre
of excellence.
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