The Leslie Payne Memorial Lecture:

Reconstructing the Wounded (The Leslie Payne Memorial Lecture)

To be given by Shehan Hettiaratchy

War causes severe injuries, with limb trauma being the most common. If not managed well, these injuries can lead to long-term disability, but with proper care, recovery is possible. Drawing on 20 years of experience in war zones from Afghanistan to Ukraine, Shehan will discuss effective reconstructive strategies, covering immediate surgical interventions, early reconstruction, and long-term support for war-injured populations.

Shehan Hettiaratchy is the director of major trauma and a plastic and reconstructive surgery consultant at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. He is also the NHS England National Specialty Advisor for Armed Forces and National Clinical Director of Op Restore, the Veterans Physical Health and Well-being Service.

The Faculty of Conflict & Catastrophe Medicine owes its existence to Dr Leslie Payne who died in 2018. He helped establish the Diploma in the Medical Care of Catastrophes (DMCC), which continues to be taught and examined at the Society of Apothecaries.

From the early 1970s, Leslie laboured long and hard as the Ballistic and Blast Archivist to the Department of Military Surgery at RAMC College Millbank. This unpaid work was carried out in addition to managing his busy dental practice. At the same time, he was discretely advising security agencies in the UK. His areas of particular interest and expertise included blast biophysics and pathophysiology, and penetrating civilian and military ballistic injury.

Leslie was also a noted expert on stab injury and unarmed combat and worked closely with the London Metropolitan Police and the Association of Chief Police Officers of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland in these areas.

Bookings close on: Monday 12 May 2025

Date: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Time: 6.30 pm
Dress code:  Casual

Members Portal (LMS): Click here to book
Lecture and Drink: £15.00
Non-Members: Click here to book
Lecture and Drink: £20.00

Contact: AcademicEvents@apothecaries.org