Dr Wells' study addressed the critical issue of postoperative mortality, shifting focus from crude mortality rates to the more nuanced measure of 'failure to rescue' (FTR), defined as deaths occurring after complications, offering insights into systemic drivers of inequity in Aotearoa.
Establishing that differences in surgical outcomes are explained less by the rate of complications and more by differences in FTR, Dr Wells' work demonstrated that "the risk of adverse outcomes after surgery isn't equal in Aotearoa," and revealed a widening gap of inequity and "systemic racism within hospitals, where Māori patients are still less likely to survive when things go wrong after surgery."
Presenting alongside Dr Wells were finallists:
- Dr Jamie-Lee Rahiri (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi) on Revealing the Surgical Evidence Gap: Māori Health, Equity, and the Callfor Responsive Research in Aotearoa
- Dr Sam Hale on The anaesthetic efficacy of tetracaine and oxymetazoline compared with Co-phenylcaine in healthy individual
- Dr Sarah Hunter on Deprivation, Ethnicity, and Eczema: Understanding Associations for Childhood Bone and Joint Infection
- Dr Sam Lynskey on Clinical Biomarker Shoulder Study: Transcriptomic differences between inflammatory conditions of the shoulder: osteoarthritis and rotator cuff tears - The SHOaW Study
- Dr Anna MacDonald on Paediatric multifocal musculoskeletal sepsis and the aftermath: a 15-year review of health outcomes
While Dr Wells took home the prize for 2025, the judges noted the outstanding quality of all our finallists' presentations: "The research that sits behind [these presentations] is really quite incredible. The thought, the consideration and the critical thinking is awe-inspiring for us judges to sit and listen to."
Dr Wells is a General Surgery Trainee at Hastings Hospital and PhD Candidate at The University of Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. His PhD research focuses on 'failure to rescue' following postoperative complications and the use of wearable devices to monitor and identify deteriorating patients. His research is funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand, and the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment.
The Louis Barnett Prize, first awarded in 1962, honours Sir Louis Barnett, an early pioneer of surgical research and the first Aotearoa New Zealand president of RACS. The prize recognises advanced academic research by Aotearoa New Zealand surgeons, continuing Louis Barnett's legacy of scientific inquiry and innovation.
Dr Wells joins a distinguished list of past winners whose research has advanced surgical knowledge and helped improve patient care.
