Consultant Surgeon Nicola features in national exhibition celebrating women in surgery

Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon Nicola Mackay is among the women featured in a new exhibition at the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Insight: Portraits of Women in Surgery, offers an intimate and contemporary look at working life for women in surgery.

While women now make up more than half of doctors in the UK, they remain significantly under‑represented at consultant level in surgery.

“It’s an honour to be included along with some amazing surgeons from around the country,” said Nicola, who specialises in soft tissue knee surgery at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust. 

“My mum instilled in me an unwavering belief that I could achieve anything I set my mind to. She taught me never to let barriers define my limits.

“From an early age, I had two great passions: dance and musical theatre, and medicine. I ultimately chose the academic path but I have carried the creativity, discipline and resilience that performing arts taught me throughout my life.”

Raised in the small Scottish town of Bo’ness, Nicola’s journey into surgery began at medical school at the University of Dundee where she developed a fascination with anatomy and the precision of orthopaedic surgery.

During her training, she balanced the demands of full‑time surgical work alongside raising two children.

A defining moment came in 2023 when Nicola and her family moved to Canada so she could undertake a prestigious fellowship in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine at the Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic. The experience allowed her to refine her surgical expertise, deepen her academic insight and form lasting international professional relationships.

She returned to the UK in 2024 to take up her substantive consultant post at UHCW in the same unit where she began as a Foundation Doctor.

“Being a surgeon is not just about operating; it is about restoring hope, function and patient dignity,” she added. “Knowing my skills can relieve pain and change someone’s future is profoundly rewarding.

“Equally important is being a teacher and mentor. Seeing trainees grow and knowing the values and compassion I pass on will benefit future patients is deeply fulfilling.”

Through portraits taken in real clinical environments and first‑person testimony, the exhibition celebrates women like Nicola who are shaping the future of the profession through skill, determination and perseverance.

All participants are members of the Women in Surgery Network (WinS), a national initiative dedicated to enabling and inspiring women to fulfil their surgical career ambitions.

The free exhibition at the Hunterian Museum in London can be viewed between 10am-5pm Wednesday to Saturday until 18th April.