The OrthoPod

Associate Professor Erich Rutz is a Swiss-trained paediatric orthopaedic surgeon. For 15 years, he worked at the University Children’s Hospital in Basel, Switzerland, where he was Head of their Neuromuscular Hip Surgery Program and Gait Laboratory. Then, in April 2020, Erich was recruited to the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne to commence as a consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeon and the Director of the RCH Hugh Williamson Gait Laboratory. While Erich is an expert in the surgical correction of musculoskeletal deformities suffered by children with cerebral palsy, he is also a very accomplished researcher and in March 2022, he became the inaugural Bob Dickens Chair of Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery at The University of Melbourne. Erich’s research interests are directed toward understanding complex gait disorders and in the future he hopes to improve the management and functional outcomes for children with cerebral palsy.

Andrew Fraval graduated Medical School from Melbourne University in 2012 and completed the Victorian orthopaedic training program in 2022. Andrew has recently returned from sub-specialty training in primary and revision hip and knee joint replacement surgery with the prestigious Rothman Institute in Philadelphia. This was an American-accredited fellowship program which rarely grants acceptance to foreign-trained surgeons. During this time, Andrew gained valuable experience in robotic-assisted surgery, revision arthroplasty, and managing of prosthetic joint infections. As a Melbourne-trained orthopaedic surgeon, Andrew is now back home and holds public appointments at St Vincent's and Austin hospitals, and consults privately at Victorian Bone + Joint Specialists in Fitzroy.

Professor Natalie Sims is a bone cell biologist and the Head of the Bone Cell Biology & Disease Laboratory at the St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research. Natalie completed her PhD at the University of Adelaide in 1995 and soon after became a Research Associate at Yale University School of Medicine, before returning to Australia in 2001 and now leads the Bone Cell Biology & Disease Laboratory at SVI. Natalie is internationally recognised as a leader of bone research, and her laboratory studies the cellular interactions responsible for development, maintenance, and strength of bone, with the ultimate goal of discovering new treatments for conditions such as osteoporosis and arthritis. Natalie is also involved at an editorial level for many top bone and endocrine journals, and is the past-President of the Australia and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society.

Professor Julian Feller graduated from medical school at Monash University with honours in 1982 and has recently brought up 30 years of experience as an orthopaedic surgeon. Julian is based at OrthoSport Victoria in Epworth Richmond, consulting to a wide range of patients from professional athletes to weekend warriors on his special interests of anterior cruciate ligament injury, patellar instability, knee replacement, and osteotomy. Julian also has a strong research background having published extensively and written many book chapters, in addition to being an Associate Editor of the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine.   OrthoSport Victoria, Professor Julian Feller - https://osv.com.au/surgeons/professor-julian-feller/   Comparison of the Short-Term Effects of Vasoligation and Open-Ended Vasectomy on the Reproductive Tract of the Male Rat - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1439-0272.1986.tb01845.x   Patellectomy and osteoarthritis: arthroscopic findings following previous patellectomy - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01560198

Chad Everard is a former registered operating theatre nurse with a passion for orthopaedic surgical procedures spanning over a 25 year career. After beginning in the operating theatres at St John of God Subiaco Hospital in Perth, Chad progressed to working for DePuy Orthopaedics, firstly in Perth and then in Melbourne, for a combined 13 years. Chad’s significant experience in medical technology continued to grow when he began working for Medacta International to set up their direct business operations in Victoria and Tasmania, and then further expanding to Western Australia. Then, in 2018, Chad began his biggest challenge by forming Reconnaissance Orthopaedics and specialising full time in more challenging surgical cases where his passion lies.   Reconnaissance Orthopaedics Instagram (@rcon.co): https://www.instagram.com/rcon.co/?hl=en   Reconnaissance Orthopaedics website: https://www.rcon.co/  

Dr Gary Berryman graduated with honours in medicine from the University of Melbourne in 1987 and gained his Fellowship from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners in 1994. Gary has also competed further training to obtain a Diploma in obstetrics and gynaecology, and a Fellowship from the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine.   Julie McKay is a Registered Nurse and Accredited Mental Health Nurse who began her training in Sydney and pursued a passion for rural and remote healthcare across Far North Queensland.   Gary and Julie work at Cardwell Family Practice, a remote clinic providing much needed care to a community of around 1,000 people in Far North Queensland.   https://www.cardwellfamilypractice.com.au/

Dr Alessandro Bruschi the Honorary Sarcoma Fellow at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. In addition to his interests and expertise in orthopaedic oncology and trauma, Alessandro has also recently begun a PhD in oncology.

Welcome to The OrthoPod for 2023! Exams are over and a new year of podcasting is ahead. Enjoy this episode compiling some of the best moments of The OrthoPod along our journey.

Professor Jane Gunn is a General Practitioner, PhD graduate, and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at The University of Melbourne. Professor Gunn’s distinguished career as an academic has seen her work as Head of the Department of General Practice, Deputy Head of the Melbourne Medical School, and the inaugural Chair of Primary Care Research at The University of Melbourne. Professor Gunn’s leadership in traversing the research-practice gap has raised the profile and rigour of primary care research in Australia and in 2016 saw her election to the position of Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.   Diagnosis, Management and Outcomes of Depression in the Primary Care Setting (The Diamond 10-year Cohort Study) - https://medicine.unimelb.edu.au/research-groups/general-practice-research/mental-health-program/outcomes-of-depression    Matching depression management to severity prognosis in primary care: results of the Target-D randomised controlled trial - https://bjgp.org/content/71/703/e85    10 Of The Best - Showcasing significant projects that support the improvement of human health NHMRC Research Projects (Twelfth Edition) - https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/attachments/publications/10_of_the_best_12th_ed.pdf   Moving from “let’s fix them” to “actually listen”: the development of a primary care intervention for mental-physical multimorbidity - https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-021-06307-5   The Joint Effect of Physical Multimorbidity and Mental Health Conditions Among Adults in Australia - https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2020/20_0155.htm 

Stryker Corporation is a multinational company listed on the Fortune 500 with over 43,000 staff globally. Stryker was founded in 1941 by an orthopaedic surgeon Dr Homer Stryker in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where their headquarters remain today. Stryker are one of the world's leading medical technology companies and offer a range of medical, orthopaedic, and neurosurgical products and services designed to help improve patient and hospital outcomes. Today I am joined by Mr Ulrich Bühner the Chief Engineer in Research & Development of Stryker’s Asia Pacific region, specialising in Orthopaedic Oncology and Robotics. Uli is a specialist in Product Development, Launch, and Lifecycle Management, as well as Medical Device Software.   History of Stryker: https://www.stryker.com/au/en/about/history.html   Mako SmartRobotics: https://www.stryker.com/us/en/joint-replacement/systems/Mako_SmartRobotics_Overview.html   Can Robot-Assisted Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty Be Cost-Effective? A Markov Decision Analysis: https://www.arthroplastyjournal.org/article/S0883-5403(15)00913-4/fulltext   Just in time implants: https://www.imcrc.org/just-in-time-implants/ 

Associate Professor Michael Ponsford is a Rehabilitation Physician at Epworth Healthcare with over 25 years’ experience traumatic brain injury, orthopaedic and orthogeriatric rehabilitation. As well as offering superb teaching to medical students in the principles of Rehabilitation Medicine, Michael is also the Director of Training at Rehabilitation Medicine Training Victoria, the governing body for providing training and continuing education to Rehabilitation Medicine Fellows and trainees.    RMSANZ Private Practice Special Interest Group Position Statement on Rehabilitation following Total Knee Replacement - https://rmsanz.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/180503-FINAL-Positon-Statement-on-Rehabilitation-following-TKR-compressed.pdf    Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand - https://rmsanz.net/    Rehabilitation Medicine Training Victoria - http://rmtv.org.au/

Dr John Orchard is a Sports and Exercise physician with over 20 years of experience. Dr Orchard completed his medical degree at the University of Melbourne and would go on to become the first Sports and Exercise physician trainee in Australia. Dr Orchard’s medical career has seen him working as club doctor to the Sydney Swans in the AFL and Sydney Roosters in the NRL, to his current role as Chief Medical Officer at Cricket Australia. Off the cricket pitch, Dr Orchard is an expert in muscle and tendon injuries and their non-surgical management, and he has a significant research background with over 300 publications, along with a role as Adjunct Professor in the University of Sydney School of Public Health.   Dr Orchard's website - https://www.johnorchard.com   Sports injury classification system - https://www.johnorchard.com/osiics-downloads.html/osiics-downloads.html   Cricket injury epidemiology - https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/36/4/270.full.pdf   AFL injury epidemiology - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0363546513476270   

Professor Peter Choong is the Sir Hugh Devine Chair of Surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital, and the Head of the Departments of Surgery at St Vincent’s Hospital and The University of Melbourne. A graduate of the University of Melbourne Medical School in 1984, Professor Choong has almost 40 years’ experience in research (including 637 research publications), teaching and medical leadership, and is a distinguished surgical leader who has dedicated his career to improving treatments for musculoskeletal diseases, especially in orthopaedic reconstruction and oncology. 

Dr Sean Stevens is a General Surgeon and the Director of the General and Trauma Emergency Surgery Unit at Austin Health. Sean has interests in global surgery and has previously completed a Master of Public Health and led project work in Kenya and East Timor. Sean is also the Supervisor of Prevocational Surgical Training at Austin Health. His background in Surgical Education includes the completion of a Master of Surgical Education and he is currently a PhD-candidate within the University of Melbourne Department of Surgery investigating the use of multidisciplinary simulation in trauma care.

Dr Chris Schilling is an academic and consultant health economist who has over 15 years of experience in economic modelling and research across academia, industry, and consultancy. As part of the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Total Joint Replacement, Dr Schilling conducts research into the cost-effectiveness of surgery and the reduction of low-value care in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Dr Schilling also leads the KPMG health economic team, where he and his team provide economic evaluation and modelling to a range of government and industry clients with work that has influenced key public policy debates around obesity, mental health, low-value care, and e-cigarettes.   Chris's Profile: https://home.kpmg/au/en/home/contacts/s/chris-schilling.html "All models are wrong": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_models_are_wrong Predictors of inpatient rehabilitation after total knee replacement: an analysis of private hospital claims data: https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2018/209/5/predictors-inpatient-rehabilitation-after-total-knee-replacement-analysis

Dr Alessandro Bruschi is an orthopaedic resident at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute in Bologna due to finish his specialist training in 2023. Dr Bruschi’s surgical interests are in orthopaedic oncology and sports traumatology, and he has research interests in exoskeletons and neuromuscular protheses. His penultimate year of orthopaedic training will involve coming to Melbourne for a fellowship at St Vincent’s Hospital and hopefully starting a PhD in orthopaedic oncology.   Dielectric Elastomer Actuators, Neuromuscular Interfaces, and Foreign Body Response in Artificial Neuromuscular Prostheses: A Review of the Literature for an In Vivo Application: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adhm.202100041    KidneyDose: https://apkgk.com/com.kdmediteck.kidneydose 

Professor Rachelle Buchbinder is a physician specialising in rheumatology, Director of the Monash-Cabrini Department of Musculoskeletal Health and Clinical Epidemiology at Cabrini Hospital and a Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Monash University. She is known internationally as a vocal proponent of evidence-based medicine and for her landmark studies, particularly those examining treatments accepted into practice before proper evaluation. She has published more than 600 scientific papers and is in the top 0.1 per cent of the world's most cited scientists. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for services to epidemiology and rheumatology in 2020 and admitted as a fellow to the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences in 2015. Buy the book: Hardcopy - https://www.bookshop.unsw.edu.au/details.cgi?ITEMNO=9781742237350&11180117  eBook - https://www.amazon.com/Hippocrasy-doctors-betraying-their-oath-ebook/dp/B09KN222CX/ref=sr_1_1 A Randomized Trial of Vertebroplasty for Painful Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa0900429    Espresso Sara https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_coffee_drinks 

Dr Priya Sumithran is an endocrinologist who is a member of the council of the Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society. As a clinician researcher, Dr Sumithran leads the Obesity Research Group at the University of Melbourne Department of Medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and is the Head of Obesity Medicine at Austin Health. Dr Sumithran’s research and clinical interests are in the neuroendocrine regulation of appetite and eating behaviours, the intersection between obesity and mental health, and improving access to effective treatment of obesity. References The effect of rate of weight loss on long-term weight management: a randomised controlled trial: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(14)70200-1/fulltext Potential gut–brain mechanisms behind adverse mental health outcomes of bariatric surgery: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-021-00520-2 Feasibility of exercise and weight management for people with hip osteoarthritis and overweight or obesity: A pilot study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665913121000376      

Mr Matt Alexander grew up and was educated in Melbourne, receiving his medical degree from The University of Melbourne in 2005. He then completed his orthopaedic training in Victoria and Tasmania and commenced practice as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon in 2016. He has completed fellowships across the world and has a special interest in robotic-assisted arthroplasty including hip replacement via the anterior approach, knee ligament reconstruction and the management of patellofemoral joint instability and practices at The Austin Hospital and Melbourne Hip and Knee.

Dr Avanthi Mandaleson was born and raised in the UK to Sri Lankan parents and moved to Australia to complete her medical degree at Monash University, graduating in 2004. In 2014, Dr Mandaleson finished her training as an orthopaedic surgeon in Australia, and then went on to complete fellowships in upper limb surgery at the Wrightington Hospital in England, and in microsurgical reconstruction at Ganga Hospital in India. In addition to her work at the Austin Hospital, Monash Health and private practice providing specialist surgical care in hand and upper limb surgery, Avanthi is also the Victoria and Tasmania representative of the Australian Orthopaedic Association’s Orthopaedic Women's Link.