Women in Surgery photography exhibition

Three ENT consultants feature in an exhibition that shines a spotlight on women in surgery. Insight: Portraits of Women in Surgery runs until mid-April at the Hunterian Museum within the Royal College of Surgeons in London. It brings together women surgeons from different surgical specialities, career stages and regions across the UK. Through portrait photography and first-person reflection, the exhibition explores the personal motivations and experiences that shape surgical careers today. 


 
All the surgeons featured are members of the Women in Surgery Network (WinS), a national initiative dedicated to encouraging, enabling and inspiring women to fulfil their surgical career ambitions. The portraits are set in environments reflective of their work and the majority were taken by NHS trust staff, including many specialist clinical photographers from the Medical Photography departments of each hospital. 
 
Manuela Cresswell, consultant ENT surgeon at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, was among those featured. The first ever female ENT consultant at Derriford Hospital, the project is close to Manuela’s heart: “Women only make up an estimate of 17% of surgeons worldwide, there is still work to be done in showing people that women can be a multitude of things, including mothers, wives and surgeons," she says. 

The exhibition also highlights the surgeons’ personal experiences that influenced their careers. For Manuela that was witnessing a road traffic accident as a teenager.  
“My parents, both doctors, were first at the scene, and watching their calm triage, teamwork, and difficult decision-making left a lasting impression on me. I realised I wanted the skills to help in moments of crisis.”     

Manuela was also asked what advice she would give to future surgeons. 
"You are never the finished product," she says. "Early in training it is easy to compare oneself to senior consultants and feel like an impostor, forgetting that their expertise has been shaped over decades. The focus should be on personal growth: working consistently, learning from excellent trainers, and practising self-kindness. Progress is built slowly through persistence and reflection. Learn to quiet down the inner voice that says ‘you are not good enough’". 
 
Olivia Howe, a core surgical trainee at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, also features in the exhibition. She shares her story about how she was inspired to become a surgeon after receiving reconstructive ear surgery as a child. She was born with microtia and atresia, which meant she had a very small, malformed right ear with no ear canal. 
“At 10 years old I decided to undergo surgery where they took cartilage from my rib and a skin graft from my leg to reconstruct my right ear," Olivia explains. "I was so inspired by the surgeon, the day after my surgery I started operating on my teddy bears!  I haven't really thought about any other career since.   

“I had a total of three surgeries for my ear and in every one of them I was so touched by the expert care from all the clinicians involved, including the doctors, nurses, and the healthcare staff.    

The exhibition is free to enter and is open until Saturday 18 April 2026:
https://hunterianmuseum.org/exhibitions/insight-portraits-of-women-in-surgery

 
Photos left to right:
Isma Iqbal, Consultant Otorhinolaryngology and Anterior Skull Base surgeon 
By Mark Oxley, Videographer and Video Producer, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
 
Manuela Cresswell, Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon 
By Paige Nolan, Communications Officer, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trus
 
Olivia Howe, Core Surgical Trainee 
By Thomas Harrison, Digital and Design Communication Lead, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 

Sarah Farmer, Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon 
By Lorna Jones, Senior Clinical Photographer, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.