Retiral of Mr Tom Smith

The MCh (Orth) course at the Department of Orthopaedic & Trauma Surgery bid a fond farewell to one of its greatest advocates and longest serving visiting lecturers on Friday 6th February.

Mr Tom Smith, who specialised in foot and ankle surgery, first lectured on the MCh (Orth) course in 1996 and was also External Examiner from 2000/2001 till 2003/2004 before retiring from his position as Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Claremont Hospital in Sheffield in 2005. Mr Smith continued to act as an expert witness in medical legal cases and to lecture and support the MCh (Orth) course until recently and in our case today respectively. His experience as a surgeon, lecturer, past Editor of The Foot Journal and European Foot and Surgery Journal, and past President of British Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgery (BOFAS) will be a loss to the orthopaedic community as a whole and to us and our prospective MCh (Orth) candidates on a more personal level. His enthusiasm and vitality in sharing his vast knowledge with our orthopaedic surgeon candidates highlights the quality of the course’s visiting lecturing faculty from around the UK.

Professor Rami Abboud took the opportunity to thank Mr Smith for all his efforts and support over the past 19 years by presenting Tom with a token of his appreciation in the form of a set of University and MCh Orth engraved whisky glasses; not forgetting a 19-year old malt to fill them with!

”Tom has played a key role in my career as a mentor, colleague and more importantly as a friend”, commented Professor Abboud. “I first met Tom at a conference in Dundee in 1996 when he asked me to start reviewing for The Foot journal, then invited me to join its International Advisory Board and subsequently the Editorial Board paving the way for me to become the Editor-in-Chief in 2012”, added Professor Abboud. “Our numerous interactions in Dundee and at the BOFAS annual meetings have furthered our friendship and common interests in the foot and fishing! I will greatly miss our annual interactions in Dundee but would sincerely wish Tom a long and happy retirement with many happy years to come with Chris. He has been a tremendous support for the MCh Orth at Dundee and the University in general”.

Dr Tom Smith (6th from right) with some of the 2014-15 MCh (Orth) candidates and Professor Abboud and Mrs MacDonald prior to his final lecturing session!

Dr Pradyumna Raval spoke for this year's MCh (Orth) intake:

"Our batch has been really lucky that some of the best Orthopaedic Surgeons have lectured us. Mr. Tom Smith is one of those stalwarts. Some really complex topics on feet were explained effortlessly by him. That's what good teachers are made up of, isn't it?. Alas, it is sad that Mr. Smith has decided to hang up his boots, but before doing that, by lecturing us he has placed us in the company of the priviledged few."