The Flinders University Department of Surgery is located across all the teaching hospitals of Flinders University. These include Flinders Medical Centre and the Repatriation General Hospital which are located within the Southern Metropolitan area of Adelaide, as well as the Royal Darwin Hospital. It also has a presence at several rural centres, including Berri, Alice Springs and Mt Gambier.
The Department provides teaching within the Graduate Entry Medical Program, and conducts research across a range of areas. It has major interests in the general surgical subspecialties of upper gastrointestinal surgery, hepatobiliary surgery and colorectal surgery. Other major interests include urological stone disease, orthopaedic surgery and lymphodoema. Research laboratories are located at both Flinders Medical Centre and the Repatriation General Hospital, and large and small animal facilities are located at the Flinders Medical Centre site.
The Head of the Department is Professor David Watson, who is located primarily at Flinders Medical Centre. He is also Head of Gastrointestinal Services at Flinders Medical Centre, and Associate Dean (Clinical Medicine) at Flinders University. The Department comprises both clinical academics and research scientists. This mix integrates clinical and basic science research streams within a strong program of research focused on surgical diseases. In addition, a Lecturer in Surgical Education provides excellent support to the Graduate Entry Medical Program. There are six staff who hold Professorial appointments, five Associate Professors, and a large number of clinical and scientific staff who are appointed at the level of Lecturer or Senior Lecturer.
The Department has interests in the evaluation of new clinical procedures, randomised clinical trials, and basic science research; including molecular biology, biomechanics, biliary and duodenal motility, pancreatic exocrine function, lymphodoema, nerve pathways in the gastrointestinal tract, and urological stone disease. This is funded predominantly by grants from bodies such as the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), and the USA National Institutes of Health (NIH). An international reputation in research in the fields of upper gastrointestinal disease, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, lymphodoema, kidney stone disease, orthopaedics and pancreatico-biliary disease has led to the successful acquisition of significant grant funding over many years.
The Department has an international reputation for excellence. Many of its members are regularly invited to speak at international meetings, and visit international departments. Members of the Department are also involved in College of Surgeons committees, major international and national associations and serve on Government committees such as NHMRC and AMC. In addition a number serve on Editorial Boards and as Editors of international and national journals. The editorship of HPB, the leading HPB journal currently resides in the Department.
For general enquiries, please email : surgery@flinders.edu.au