Webmaster: Omair Shariq

The ASiT website has grown and developed over the past few years into an up-to-date resource for members seeking information on surgical news, events and training resources.  It is a great privilege to take up the post of ASiT Webmaster and I thank Ish Ahmed, Ewen Harrison and my predecessors for their hard work in developing and maintaining the various sections of the site to a high standard.

At a time when surgical training is undergoing considerable reform, it is more important than ever for ASiT to promote transparency in communication between trainees and the wider community. The website plays a key role in this, as our major interface with members, designated societies, corporate patrons and the general public. The past year has seen us expand our presence on social networking websites such as Facebook through the formation of an active ASiT Page (www.facebook.com/ASiT.org). By liaising with the British Association of University Surgical Societies (BAUSS) we have also been able to promote ASiT events to a wider audience of medical students nationally. With the ever-increasing popularity of Twitter, we are in the process of setting up an ASiT account as a means of providing the latest information on news and events.

I aim to work alongside the ASiT Student Represenative, to improve the accessibility and breadth of resources available to medical students interested in a career in surgery. This will take the form of video streams of educational content as well as regularly updated podcasts uploaded onto the website. The 2011 ASiT Conference will provide an exciting source of talks and sessions delivered by renowned surgeons, which we plan on recording and uploading onto the website.  I will also be working with the ASiT Foundation representative, to develop and expand the foundation doctors’ section into an information hub with valuable advice for those looking to apply for core surgical training. In addition, I hope to revamp the interface of the message boards to facilitate active discussion on exam revision, interviews and training issues for the benefit of junior and senior trainees alike.

If you have any suggestions on how to improve the website or would like to get involved yourself, please feel free to get in touch at omair.shariq06@imperial.ac.uk.