E121 Peter Brennan on Human Factors, Hierarchy in the OR, and Gray's Surgical Anatomy

Cold Steel: Canadian Journal of Surgery Podcast

This week we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Peter Brennan (https://twitter.com/BrennanSurgeon?s=20&t=VZQWDi0op02x9_8qdn3Avg). Dr. Brennan is an oral maxillofacial surgeon in Portsmouth, England. A tremendously accomplished academic, Dr. Brennan has a keen interest in human factors in surgery. In addition, he is the co-editor of the Gray’s Surgical Anatomy.

Links:

1. Dr. Brennan’s PhD on human factors: https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/files/18357979/Peter_A_Brennan_PhD_thesis.pdf
2. We need to reduce hierarchy and empower junior doctors to speak up (BMJ): https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2019/05/03/improving-patient-safety-we-need-to-reduce-hierarchy-and-empower-junior-doctors-to-speak-up/
3. MDT meetings: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jop.12853
4. Gray’s Surgical Anatomy: https://www.elsevier.com/books/grays-surgical-anatomy/brennan/978-0-7020-7386-1

Bio (from https://solentmaxillofacialclinic.com/professor-peter-brennan/)

Peter has been a consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust since 2002. He is also honorary Professor of Surgery and Head of the Academic Department of Surgery, at the University of Portsmouth. He qualified with honours in both medicine (1994) and dentistry (1987) gaining distinctions and winning many prizes in subjects including anatomy, pharmacology, anaesthetics, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology and ophthalmology.

Last year, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow elected Peter as an Honorary Fellow, the first Maxillofacial Surgeon to receive this accolade.

Peter’s main clinical interests are head and neck malignancy, reconstructive free flap surgery and neck lumps. He is a research supervisor, an examiner for higher research degrees and has published over 500 papers to date covering many aspects of oral and maxillofacial surgery including cancer. Peter’s research has been awarded both National and International research prizes, and he has lectured extensively in the UK and abroad.

Peter has edited a number of books including the definitive 2 volume reference textbook of the speciality, Maxillofacial Surgery, which is used worldwide. He is the lead editor of the forthcoming Gray’s Surgical Anatomy, sister publication to the famous Gray’s Anatomy.