Mission

Surgical practice is moving faster than the evidence guiding it. New technologies are adopted years before trials are complete and policies are set before outcomes are measured. Impact Surgery exists in that gap, publishing evidence-based commentary and analysis on the future of surgery, written for clinicians, researchers, industry, and the organisations shaping the field's direction.

What we publish

Impact Surgery publishes 1,000-word analytical and commentary pieces on surgical practice, policy, training, technology, and the evidence base that underpins all of them. All content is peer reviewed, evidence-based, and referenced, with images included where they serve the argument. Every piece is permanently archived and assigned a digital object identifier, making it citable in perpetuity. Impact Surgery holds eISSN 3033-4470, registered with the British Library, and content is deposited with Zenodo, the open-access research repository operated by CERN, ensuring each piece remains accessible regardless of any future changes to this platform.

Editorial standards

All content published on Impact Surgery undergoes editorial review before publication, with oversight from the editorial team to ensure analytical excellence, accuracy, and appropriate engagement with the existing literature. Sponsored content is clearly labelled, evidence based, and editorially independent in argument. Where a member of the editorial or author team has a commercial interest in a submitted piece, this is stated and that piece is reviewed independently.

Who we are

Impact Surgery is led by Professor Aneel Bhangu, Professor of Global Surgery and Surgery Systems at the University of Birmingham, Director of the Surgical Data Institute, and a Consultant Colorectal Surgeon. He is chief investigator of multiple international surgical trials, an expert witness to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, and has an extensive publication record in the Lancet, JAMA, and the BMJ. The platform publishes invited contributions from surgeons, researchers, and clinical academics at all career stages, actively commissioning pieces from trainees and early-career surgeons alongside senior voices. Proposals for editorial pieces are welcome from surgical clinicians, researchers, and policymakers and should be sent with a working title, a brief summary of the argument, and the author's institutional affiliation and declaration of interests to a.a.bhangu@bham.ac.uk.

Our audience

Impact Surgery is read by surgeons, surgical trainees, clinical academics, health policy professionals, and the organisations that shape the direction of the field, including surgical societies, training bodies, regulatory agencies, and industry partners. The platform is written for any reader with a serious interest in surgical evidence and practice, and pieces are calibrated for an informed professional audience rather than a general readership.

Industry and sponsorship

Impact Surgery engages directly and transparently with the surgical industry, recognising that device manufacturers, digital health organisations, and surgical technology developers shape the environment in which surgery is practised. A sponsored content programme is available for organisations wishing to associate their name with high-quality surgical commentary, with sponsored pieces written to the same editorial standards as independent content, clearly labelled throughout, and carrying a full funding declaration in the piece metadata. An industry membership tier, providing early access to new content, extended analysis, and direct engagement with the editorial team, will launch in 2026. Sponsorship enquiries should be directed to a.a.bhangu@bham.ac.uk.

History and archive

Impact Surgery was established in 2023 as a peer-reviewed open-access academic journal, pivoting in 2026 to its current format as a named editorial commentary platform. All articles published during the journal period are available in the archive on this platform and permanently secured through Zenodo, ensuring the full publication record remains accessible and citable.