Mr Shahz Ahmed presented his Semon Lecture on the 3rd of November 2023 at the Royal Society of Medicine. He started by describing the excellence of Felix Semon and then moved onto looking at different fields, such as chess, music, and sport, that have take home messages for doctors and how they can improve their practice. He emphasised the importance of deliberate practice in order to continue improving our skills and the need to learn from mistakes and reflect on our practice.
Mr Shahz Ahmed works as a consultant rhinologist and skull base surgeon. He received his PhD on Nasal Polyposis in 2013 and has published a large volume of papers and book chapters. He also thoroughly enjoys teaching, running courses on sinus surgery and lecturing throughout the world. Mr Ahmed has also held a number of leadership positions, both within medical societies and the NHS, such as his current post as Medical Director for Tertiary Services at the University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust.