5th December 2023

Mr David Bosanquet aspires to make Wales a centre of amputation research

A dedicated vascular surgeon whose work evolved into a passion for research is helping people at risk of amputation to receive the support they need pre- and post-surgery.

Honoured with the Health and Care Research Wales Rising Research Star Award, Mr David Bosanquet, a consultant and Honorary Senior Lecturer in the South East Wales Vascular Network and Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, has made significant contributions to his field, navigating and advancing vascular surgery research alongside his clinical career.

David’s passion for amputation research led to funding being awarded for two studies (PLACEMENT and PERCEIVE) through which he is addressing some of the top ten research priorities in amputation surgery, developed in collaboration with patients. These include pain management, post-surgery recovery, communication and decision-making, both from a patient/family and a surgeon/clinician point of view. So far, David said that what really stood out was the feedback from the involved public.

He said:

“As a direct result of what patients said in the work-up to the PLACEMENT study, we changed things so that every single patient, all 650 of them who will take part in this randomised trial, will be informed about the Limbless Associations’ free peer-to-peer support programme.

“With amputation research, you can really change the outcomes for patients, especially when you listen to what they are saying – public involvement goes hand in hand with my research.”

With the PLACEMENT and PERCEIVE studies paving the way, David’s aspiration is for Wales to become a centre for amputation research. Both studies are funded by Health and Care Research Wales and coordinated in partnership with Centre for Trials Research.

Watch David talk about his journey to research and share tips on how to become a successful researcher at the Health and Care Research Wales conference 2023.