Julie McBirnie MBBcH FRCS(Ed) FRCS (Tr & Orth)

I was born in Glasgow and moved out to Johannesburg in 1975. I studied medicine at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and then returned to Edinburgh in 1989 to do my basic surgical training.

I completed a one year Fellowship in Toronto in 1998/1999 with Dr Anthony Miniaci which included complex shoulder arthroscopy, shoulder replacement and revision surgery as well as soft tissue knee surgery.

I was appointed a Consultant in Edinburgh on the 1^st January 1999 and my current practice is made up entirely of shoulder surgery, including shoulder arthroscopy, reconstruction and joint replacement.

I was an ABC (American British Canadian) Travelling Fellow in 2002.

I am a member of the British Shoulder and Elbow Society (BESS) and had the pleasure of hosting it in Edinburgh in 2006. I am a member of the European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow (SECEC) and a member of ISAKOS.

I took part in the Oxford UKUFF and CSAW studies and I am one of the principal investigators for the long term outcome of the Zimmer Sidus short stem total shoulder system. My current research interests include massive rotator cuff tears and adolescent instability in contact sportsmen.

I am one of the founder members of the ‘Watanabe Club’. We run biannual meetings in order to train senior trainees and consultants in the field of shoulder arthroscopy. We have now run over 50 courses and it continues to be one of the most successful shoulder arthroscopy courses in the UK since its inception in 2003.

I have been involved in the care of Scottish Rugby Union players with shoulder injuries for more than 10 years.

My outside interests involve sport. I have run 4 marathons although my interest is now in triathlon and open water swimming.