Tena Kotou, Akash is a first-year junior doctor who graduated from the University of Auckland in 2025. He is currently working as a House-Surgeon/Intern at Auckland City Hospital in Aotearoa, New Zealand. His long-term career plans include pursuing a clinical-academic career in General Surgery. His research focuses on examining system-level factors that drive variation in post-operative outcomes and surgical care between institutions. The ultimate aim of my work is to contribute to the development of key quality improvement initiatives based on empirical data, to improve the delivery of surgical care across Aotearoa and beyond.