In the UK I enjoyed a secondment to Stuart Stanton at the Urogynaecology Unit at St George’s Hospital. He showed me how to perform Burch Colposuspension and I worked with the fellow to become proficient at Urodynamics. I subsequently set up the first Urodynamic service at The West Middlesex hospital which still continues to this day.
Following my return from the UK and my VMO appointment in 1985 I founded the St George Urodynamic Centre providing the only Urodynamic service in Sydney South.
Following on from this I developed and interest in Endoscopic Surgery, attending the first workshop in hysteroscopic surgery and laparoscopic surgery in Australia.
In 1991 I embarked on my first laparoscopic hysterectomy. Not long after this I followed my interest in pelvic floor surgery to perform a laparoscopic Burch colposuspension in 1992, which I believe to be the first time it was successfully performed in Australia. At that time I set up an Endosurgery Unit at Hurstville Community Hospital and was asked to join Sydney’s first Gynaecological Endoscopy group at Liverpool Hospital. I began performing animal workshops and lecturing in laparoscopic surgery at major meetings throughout Australia.
In 1995 I was the co-founder of the Sydney Women’s Endosurgery Centre (SWEC). It has subsequently become the major Endosurgery Training Centre in Australia both at postgraduate and post-consultant level. Because of the extensive research facilities and the Research Fellows associated with the Unit, we have been able to publish widely both in Australia and internationally.
I have presented major work in Endosurgery in Australia, Europe and America. I have received an Award at the Seattle meeting of the A.A.G.L. in 1997 for my presentation of “The Learning Curve for Laparoscopic Hysterectomy”.
This was judged one of the best papers presented at the Meeting. In December 1998 at the International Meeting for the Society of Laparoscopic Surgeons, we were once again successful in presenting a paper on “Venous return during laparoscopic surgery” which was judged the best gynaecological paper in endoscopy presented at that meeting.
I have also preceptored doctors in almost every state in Australia over many years to teach Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy and Pelvic Floor Reconstruction and the fundamentals of Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery. I have been invited to perform surgery throughout Asia, the Middle East and in the UK. I have operated at 2 International Master classes in Brisbane and 3 Laparoscopic Workshops in Adelaide and I am on the faculty of a number of units in Australia. I am on the AGES Education subcommittee to formulate a nationally recognised fellowship training program which will result in a Diploma or Master of Surgery similar to the UK model.
My interests have been involved with the use of the Harmonic Scalpel and the laparosonic coagulating shears in its application to total laparoscopic hysterectomy and pelvic floor surgery. In association with the Sydney Women’s Endosurgery Centre, we have worked towards creating a new approach to pelvic floor reconstruction and bladder neck suspension. This Unit is one of the main Units in the world in relation to laparoscopic treatment of pelvic floor disorders.
I have recently been certified as a Robotic surgeon in the USA and have started a Robotic surgery centre in association with Sydney Women’s Endosurgery Centre (SWEC) at Macquarie University Hospital and Hurstville Private Hospital.