Stefan Riss

Current position: 

Consultant and Associate Professor

Medical University of Vienna

Department of Surgery

Contact:  stefan.riss@meduniwien.ac.at

1. Why did you choose this fellowship? Western General Hospital (WGH) is well known to provide a service for a broad spectrum of colorectal diseases. I was particularly interested in rectal cancer and pelvic floor surgery. It is a busy department with a high number of operations. You will be exposed to both open and laparoscopic procedures.

2. What have you learned or what were positives of the fellowship? Edinburgh is a great city to live. Apart from that, I enjoyed my year at the WGH. Although, there were a number of fellows and trainees working at the WGH at that time, it was possible to attend around 2 theatre lists per week.  You work closely with different consultants, all experts in their field.

3. Your log book: number of operations (resections/proctology/general), endoscopies, clinics etc) I was not much involved in endoscopy, but there would have been an option to gain further experience if required. I was involved in about 220 surgical procedures, in the majority as the primary surgeon. I attended about 2 outpatient clinics per week.

4. Useful tips for those applying to fellowship

The GMC application process for EU members is time consuming but can be done without much difficulty. However, this might change with the Brexit. Bring warm clothes and raining suits and take your time to see the Highlands.