Professor Naeem Soomro is Professor of Urology and Consultant Urologist at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. His main interests are robotic prostatectomy, partial nephrectomy and transplant urology, as well as surgical education.

His other achievements include:

• RCS(Eng) Lead in Robotic and Digital Surgery: Developing and implementing strategy of wider adoption of robotic and digital surgery across the UK.
• Chairman of Joint Surgical Colleges Fellowship Examination (JSCFE) Board in Urology.
• Director of Robotic Surgery Newcastle: Widest adoption of Robotic surgery with three Da Vinci and one Mako system specialities. Twenty-five surgeons delivering surgery across eight surgical undertaking robotic surgery, >35000 operation done.
• Executive Director, Newcastle Surgical Training Centre: Delivering 300 minimally invasive and robotic surgical training course each year.

His on-going projects include

• Digital Surgical Hub: Developing mixed/augmented reality, simulation, distant mentoring and robotic surgical training platform with incorporation of AI.
• Surgical Health Research Data Hub: Primary care, genomic, social care, EHR, Digital operative data. Incorporation of AI to develop and deliver personalised digital surgical journey
• Incorporation of spinal, microvascular surgery, interventional cardiology and intraluminal robotic systems

Arjun catches up with him and talks cars, the pragmatic view on current urological training, and being invited to meet the Queen!