Meet #OurEntrepreneurs. Today we welcome Muhammad Shahzad, Specialty Registrar Neurosurgery at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust – Derriford Hospital
Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m Muhammad Shahzad, a neurosurgery registrar at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. I trained in Pakistan where I secured a gold medal in FCPS Neurosurgery and moved to the UK in 2020. I cleared the FRCS Neurosurgery exam in 2023 and successfully gained entry to the Specialist register in 2025. My main clinical interest lies in endoscopic and skull base neurosurgery, and I’m passionate about finding ways to make complex procedures safer, faster, and more efficient.
Name: Muhammad Shahzad , NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Cohort 9
Occupation: Specialty registrar Neurosurgery
Outside the operating theatre, I’m equally driven by digital innovation. I currently serve as a Medical Information Officer for the One Devon Electronic Patient Record (EPR) programme, helping to shape the digital transformation of care across our region. I enjoy exploring how technology and design thinking can improve clinical workflows and patient outcomes.
Beyond medicine, I recharge by playing badminton and sketching, and I’m always curious about the intersection of creativity, systems, and problem-solving, whether in the clinic or on the page.
Tell us about your innovation
Neurosurgical procedures often require surgeons to switch between bipolar forceps and microscissors dozens of times; typically 30 to 50 times per routine case. This constant instrument swapping disrupts concentration, prolongs operating time, and contributes to fatigue and procedural inefficiency. For patients, it means longer anaesthetic exposure and increased risk. For the NHS, it results in higher operative costs, accelerated equipment wear, and reduced theatre throughput.
While some hybrid instruments exist, they are often poorly adopted due to unfamiliar ergonomics or workflow disruption. The need for an intuitive, effective solution remains unmet; especially as surgical departments face mounting pressure to improve efficiency, reduce waiting lists, and support staff wellbeing.
The Combined-Action Micro-Bipolar Scissors (CAMBIS) is a novel surgical instrument designed to address this challenge. It integrates the functionality of bipolar forceps and microscissors into a single device, allowing surgeons to switch seamlessly between cutting and coagulation without removing the instrument from the field of vision. This innovation improves surgical flow, reduces operating time, enhances precision, and supports better ergonomics.
Developed in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons Innovation Hub and Team Consulting, CAMBIS has been shaped by real-world surgical needs and refined through expert input from neurosurgeons, biomedical engineers, and human factors specialists. I hope this tool will contribute to safer, more sustainable neurosurgical practice across the NHS and ultimately improve patient outcomes through enhanced surgical performance.
Why did you apply for the programme and how do you hope it will help you over the next year?
I first heard about the Clinical Entrepreneur Programme through colleagues involved in the Royal College of Surgeons Innovation Hub. Having recently finalised a prototype for the Combined-Action Micro-Bipolar Scissors (CAMBIS), the programme felt like a natural next step to gain structured support, mentorship, and the business skills needed to move from concept to clinical reality.
What excites me most is the opportunity to learn from a diverse community of clinician-innovators, share ideas, and explore how to turn real-world clinical challenges into scalable, impactful solutions. I’m particularly keen to deepen my understanding of the regulatory, commercial, and procurement landscape: areas that are often unfamiliar to clinicians but are critical for successful innovation.
Over the next year, I hope the programme will provide the structure, mentorship, and practical tools to progress CAMBIS beyond the prototype stage. My goals include:
- Advancing the device to a functional prototype ready for usability testing in simulated environments
- Finalising the IP protection strategy
- Engaging further with clinical stakeholders for feedback
- Identifying a manufacturing or industry partner to support technical development
- Securing initial funding through grants, partnerships, or accelerator support
- Formalising a development and regulatory roadmap
In parallel, I want to grow my own skillset in medical innovation and entrepreneurship so I can more effectively lead future projects and contribute to innovation strategy within the NHS. Ultimately, I see the programme as a launchpad; not just for this device, but for a career-long commitment to clinician-led innovation.
Why do you think innovation in healthcare is important?
Innovation is essential for healthcare to adapt to the evolving needs of patients, clinicians, and health systems. It’s not just about adopting new technology, but about rethinking how we operate; improving care delivery, increasing efficiency, and solving persistent challenges faced on the clinical front line. Clinician-led innovation is particularly powerful because it originates from real, day-to-day problems that directly impact patient care.
I strongly believe innovation must be grounded in practicality and shaped by those who use the systems and tools every day. I also hope to encourage more of my surgical colleagues to get involved at the design stage, where their insight is most valuable and can meaningfully shape the future of surgical practice.