This presentation will examine how surgeons can, and should, work closely with engineers and physical sciences to foster innovation in healthcare. The talk will firstly examine the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and then consider how this can be achieved, using examples of successes....and failures....of past and ongoing projects. It will also consider how a global worldview is invaluable in this pursuit - considering the challenges of innovation for global health and how this can have relevance in the UK. The talk will conclude by considering how surgeons and more broadly healthcare professionals, can become engaged in interdisciplinary collaboration, from early career and onward.