Stack Fellowship

The Stack Travelling Fellowship of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand was introduced in memory of Graham Stack to recognise both achievement and contribution to the development of Hand Surgery in the United Kingdom. It is one of the most prestigious awards bestowed by the BSSH and is intended for Consultants who are full members of BSSH or for senior trainees who are associate members and who have completed a hand surgery fellowship.

The Stack Fellowship is intended to recognise achievement, as well as contribution to the development of Hand Surgery in the United Kingdom. It is awarded to enable visits to centres of excellence and interest in this country and elsewhere. The purpose of the fellowship is to assist the award holder in developing one or more of the following:

Specified area(s) of clinical interest
Area(s) of scientific investigation
Specific educational activity

The Stack Fellow will visit individuals in the national or international setting who best fulfil the award holder’s Fellowship theme. Attendance at the host nation’s annual meeting would be encouraged. The Stack Fellow will be asked to submit a written report to the Education and Training committee for publicaiton on the BSSH Website.

Value of the award

An honorarium of £12,000 is available to cover the costs of flights, accommodation and attendance at a major meeting as required. The award is not intended to cover the costs of spouses who may wish to accompany the award holder.

Duration of award

It is envisaged that the Stack Fellowship would be taken over a 6-12 week period, depending on the circumstances of the individual. It is expected that the Fellowship will be awarded every other year prior to the Autumn Meeting of the BSSH and taken in the following calendar year. If not taken up in this period the award will lapse.

Eligibility

The Stack Fellowship is open to both full and associate members of the BSSH. Given that the purpose of the award is to recognise major contribution to hand surgery in the UK there will be preference given to Consultants in the selection process. The Fellowship will be interviewed competitively.

An applicant should be:

a) A Consultant Plastic, Orthopaedic or Hand Surgeon and full member of the BSSH with substantial practice in and commitment to surgery of the hand.

b) A senior trainee and associate member of the BSSH who is in the last year of training and has completed a fellowship in hand surgery

Application process

Submit completed application form to BSSH Secretariat. Download the application form here.
Submit a copy of Curriculum Vitae
Provide the names of two referees who are full members of the BSSH who would be prepared to forward letters of recommendation and support to the above address. One of these should be from a colleague who is familiar with the applicant’s work over the past two years.
Obtain the approval of the Chief Executive of the Employing Trust to support the applicant taking the award

Application forms and letters of support should be completed and returned by 31 July in alternate years. The next application deadline will be July 31 2025. Applications received after this date cannot be considered.

Application Form