Division of Surgery - Queensland Health

division of
NEUROSURGERY
36 Princess Alexandra Hospital
surgery
Key Staff
Director: Dr Adrian Nowitzke
Chair: Assoc Professor Michael Weidmann
Dr Sarah Olson
Dr Jeff Webster
Dr Martin Wood (in conjunction with The
Queensland Children’s Hospital)
Visiting Medical Offi cers:
Assoc Professor Leigh Atkinson
Dr Robert Campbell
Dr Ross Gurgo
Dr Bruce Hall
Dr Michael Redmond
The Multidisciplinary Brain Tumour
Clinic, which began in April 2006,
continued in strength in 2006-2007.
It manages primary brain tumours
at the PAH and involves various
departments within the hospital,
including Neurosurgery, Radiation
Oncology, Medical Oncology, Palliative
Care, Nursing, Occupational Therapy,
Pathology, Radiology, as well as the
Queensland Brain Institute and the
Institute of Molecular Biology.
The department also developed
a monthly Functional Neurosurgery
Clinic for patients with movement
disorders, which is a joint initiative
between Neurosurgery and Neurology.
Additionally, the Combined Pituitary
Clinic, combining the Neurosurgery and
Endocrinology teams, increased to weekly
meetings.
The Base of Skull Surgery Service was
also further developed in 2006-2007.
Dr Bruce Hall was joined by Dr Michael
Redmond and Dr Martin Wood, who have
specialised knowledge and interest in
this fi eld.
The department was awarded a
research grant of $20,000 to assess
service needs for brain tumour patients in
the Southern Area Health Service.
OPHTHALMOLOGY
Key Staff
Chair: Dr Mark Dal Pra
Visiting Medical Offi cers:
Dr Phung Vu
Dr Kevin Vandeleur
Dr Peter O’Connor
Dr Stephen Ohlrich
Dr Alan Hilton
Dr John Harrison
Dr Irwin Groeneveld
Dr Clifford Fairley
Dr Peter Beckingsale
Dr Russel Bach
Dr Albert Aralar
Dr Andrew Apel
Nurse Unit Manager: Jeanne Fremont
In the 2006-2007 fi nancial year, the eye
department maintained its high level
of outpatient and surgical activity. The
senior registrar initiative continued to be
a great success in reducing outpatient
waiting times as well as increasing the
number of surgeries performed.
Treatment of macular degeneration
patients with Avastin injections proved
to be a successful initiative with a recent
audit showing low complication rates.
The purchase of an Optical Coherence
Tomography (OCT) unit will benefi t
the management of both macular
degeneration and diabetes patients by
allowing the department to deliver new
forms of treatment for these common,
sight-threatening conditions.
The unit developed a case manager
role, utilising one of the Level 2 positions
from Specialty Outpatients Services.
This proved to be advantageous in the
management of patients undergoing
surgical procedures.
The retina unit expanded its operating
hours, resulting in less need for afterhours
surgery.
ORTHOPAEDICS
Key Staff
Director: Dr Cameron Cooke
Deputy Director: Dr Mark Dekkers
Hand and Upper Limb:
Dr Greg Couzens
Dr Mark Robinson
Dr Mark Ross
Dr Stephen Andrews
Dr Ken Cutbush
Dr Alok Jhamb
Lower Limb and Pelvis:
Dr Cameron Cooke
Dr Mark Dekkers
Dr Laurie Malisano
Dr John North
Professor Michael Scheutz
Spine:
Dr Geoff Askin
Dr Rob Labrom
Dr Richard Williams
Dr Simon Gatehouse
Skeletal Tumour:
Dr Ian Dickinson
Dr Peter Steadman
Dr Scott Somerville
Nurse Unit Manager: Kerri McLeod
Clinical Nurse Consultants: Jodie
Richards, Louise Carter
T he Orthopaedic Unit made a new
consultant staff appointment in 2006-
2007, welcoming Dr Alok Jhamb to upper
limb. An additional principal house
offi cer was also added to the staffi ng mix.
The medical staff were well represented
in both local and national meetings.
Dr Mark Ross was appointed as an
American-British-Canadian Travelling
Fellow, which required him to present
at international meetings and centres of
excellence.
One major initiative from 2006-2007
was the instigation of an early morning
neck of femur (NOF) trauma list, to
help reduce waiting times for patients
requiring surgery on NOF fractures
and to reduce length of stay. This was
introduced as a pilot project in September