Clinical Faculty
Professor George A. Murrell
MD (UNSW), PhD (Oxon)
Director
Professor George Murrell was appointed Director of Orthopaedic Surgery at St George Hospital in September 1995. He graduated from Adelaide University and was the 1984 South Australian Rhodes Scholar and a State and Australian University Triple Jump Champion. At Oxford he gained blues in athletics, completed a DPhil (PhD) thesis on "Dupuytren's Contracture" and was awarded the Royal College of Surgeons Arris and Gale medal for this work. He then spent a year in Cambridge teaching anatomy and rowing for Gonville and Caius 1st VIII.
Professor Murrell completed his orthopaedic training at Duke University, USA and a two year fellowship in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York. During this time he gained a National Institutes of Health First Award, an American Orthopaedic Association North American Travelling Fellowship and was a team physician for the New York Giants.
Professor Murrell is Chief of the Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service and Director of the Orthopaedic Research Institute. He specialises in shoulder surgery and has a special interest in arthroscopic methods to repair and restore damaged ligaments and tendons. His basic research interests include the role of free radicals, especially nitric oxide in the musculoskeletal system.
- T: +61 2 9113-2827
- W: georgemurrellshoulders.com.au
- E: murrell.g[at]ori.org.au
- Publications
Dr Ashish Diwan
MBBS, DipNB (Ortho), PhD(UNSW)
Director, Bone Biology
Dr Ashish Diwan is the director of Bone Biology at the Orthopaedic Research Institute, St George Hospital. Following his basic orthopaedic surgical training at St George Hospital he received training in advanced spinal surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) at Cornell University in New York City, the oldest and largest orthopaedic hospital in the USA. During his stay at HSS, Dr Diwan was awarded the Philip D. Wilson Award and the National Orthopaedic Surgery Fellows Foundation Award for outstanding achievements in the field of orthopaedic surgery. He was subsequently awarded the Merrill Lynch Innovation Award in 2000.
Dr Diwan specialises in surgery for degenerative disorders of the spine and in spinal deformities (scoliosis and kyphosis). His expertise includes minimally invasive intradiscal treatments, microscopic spinal decompression, spinal stabilisation using computer-aided-guidance, anterior and posterior surgery for adult spinal deformity.
Dr Diwan’s research interests include the molecular regulation of fracture repair and intervertebral disc regeneration. For patient related enquiries:
- Suite 16, Level 5, St George Private Hospital
- 1 South Street Kogarah
- T:(02) 8566 7166
- F: (02) 85667177
- E: info@spine-service.org
- Publications
Professor Ian Harris
MBBS, FRACS(Orth), FAOrthA, MMed (Clin Epid), PhD
Professor Harris is the Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the South West Sydney Clinical School of the University of New South Wales and the Director of Orthopaedic Surgery at Liverpool Hospital. He also holds visiting appointments at St George Hospital, Sutherland Hospital and St George Private Hospital. He is a medical graduate of the University of New South Wales and completed his orthopaedic surgical training with the Australian Orthopaedic Association in 1995, when he was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
He underwent further training in orthopaedic surgery in the Klinikum rechts der Isar in Munich, and completed a 12 month Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship at the R Adams Cowley ShockTrauma Centre in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
He holds a Master of Medicine in Clinical Epidemiology and a PhD in Surgery, both from the University of Sydney. He is a member of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Professor Harris's research interests include surgical outcomes (such as predictors of general health, surgical success, and patient satisfaction), epidemiology, medicalisation, and research methodology. Professor Harris has published extensively and lectures nationally and internationally on orthopaedics and evidence based medicine.
Liverpool: Orthopaedic Department, Level 1, New Clinical Building, Liverpool Hospital
- T: +61-2 8738-3898
- F: +61-2 8738-3884
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- Hurstville: The Old Fire Station, 78/23-27 MacMahon St.
- T: +61-2 9570-1412
- F: +61-2 9570-1405
Dr Hugh Jones
MBBS, FRACS
Dr Hugh Jones graduated from Adelaide University in 1989. Following completion of his Orthopaedic training in 1998. Dr Jones travelled overseas to obtain further training in sports and shoulder surgery.
He spent 12 months at Boston University Medical Center and the Lahey Clinic, Boston, MA , USA, as a clinical fellow. During this time, Dr Jones trained in the latest arthroscopic knee and shoulder techniques, including meniscal allografts, chondral repair and thermal collagen shrinkage.
Dr Jones has published several papers in international orthopaedic journals and has a strong interest in teaching and research.
His current research interests include allograft use in knee reconstruction, biomechanics of acromioclavicular joint reconstruction and autologous chondrocyte culture/re-implantation.
Dr Robert Molnar
MBBS BSc (Med) FRACS (Orth)
Dr Molnar studied medicine at the University of New South Wales, graduating in 1995. He completed his orthopaedic training in Orthopaedic Trauma at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, USA. Dr Molnar then went on to complete fellowship training in lower exremity reconstructive surgery in hip and knee arthroplasty and arthroscopy.
He specialises in pelvic and lower extremity trauma and his special interests are hip and knee reconstructive procedures and replacements, using minimally invasive techniques combined with computer navigation.
He operates at Castle Hill Day Surgery, St George, Sutherland and Westmead Public Hospitals, as well as St George Private Hospital.
Professor Ronald Sekel
MBBS, FRACS, FRCS(Ed) FA(Orth)A
Professor Sekel has developed a special interest in the surgery of arthritis, including primary and revision joint replacement, surgery of the spine and tumour surgery. He is the Honorary Director of the New South Wales Bone Bank and has been responsible for the development of this important facility in New South Wales.
His interest in original research has led to the development of a unique design of total hip replacement with a hydroxyapatite surface coating, aided by a grant from the Australian Government. He has also been involved in the development of a diamond-like surface coating, in collaboration with the CSIRO, ANSTO (Lucas Heights) and the University of NSW.
Professor Sekel is also deeply involved with the postgraduate education of overseas orthopaedic surgeons. He has travelled widely and lectured in China, India and the Middle East. He is a member of the Australian Orthopaedic Association,the Spine Society of Australia and the Australian Hip and Knee Arthritis Surgical Society. In 2001, Professor Sekel was appointed as a Conjoint Professor in the Faculty of Engineering of the University of NSW.
T: +61 2 9588-6399
Dr Zoltan Szomor
MD, PhD, FRACS, FA(Orth)
Director of Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery
Dr Zoltan Szomor completed his training with the Australian Orthopaedic Association Training Program. He is a Fellow of The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and completed a PhD Degree in shoulder rotator cuff pathology at the University of New South Wales. He also completed an 18 month fellowship at Kyoto University, Japan, focusing on arthroplasty and cartilage research, and a fellowship on Shoulder and Sports Surgery in Sydney.
He is currently a Conjoint Senior Lecturer at the UNSW and the Medical Director of the NSW Bone Bank.
Dr Szomor has published several papers in international journals and is currently involved in research projects related to bone and tissue banking. He also enjoys undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.
Dr Szomor’s main clinical interest and experience extend to knee surgery and arthroplasty, shoulder and trauma surgery. Dr Szomor has affiliations with St George and Sutherland Hospitals, St George Private and Hurstville Community Private Hospitals.
Dr Wayne Viglione
MBBS(Hons), FRACS FA(Orth)A
Dr Wayne Viglione heads the Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery at St George and Sutherland Hospitals. He graduated from medical school at Sydney University in 1972 with first class honours. Drawn to orthopaedics, he trained on the Sydney Orthopaedic Training Programme until graduating in 1988.
He did a post-graduate sports medicine and knee surgery fellowship.
He is a member of the Australian Orthopaedic Association and the NSW Hand Surgery Association. Committee work includes Board of Studies (Sydney Orthopaedic Training Programme), the St George Hospital Trauma Committee, and he chairs a Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism Committee at St George Hospital.
He has had presentations at international and interstate levels and has convened orthopaedic meetings in trauma and wrist surgery. He is very involved in general practice ongoing education and registrar training. Dr Viglione has interests in hand surgery. His other interests are in joint replacement and trauma. He is also an accomplished knee arthroscopist.
T: +61 2 9588-2353
Dr Michael Dixon
MBBS, FRACS (Ortho), FCS (SA, Ortho), FAOA
Dr Michael Dixon is an orthopaedic specialist of the lower limb, with a particular interest in arthritis and sports injuries. He is experienced in joint replacement and reconstructive surgery of the hip and knee areas using arthroscopic techniques.
Dr Dixon has completed extensive training in all areas of orthopaedics including hip, knee, shoulder and sports medicine through a series of orthopaedic fellowships. He is a member of the Australian Medical Association and Australian Orthopaedic Association and has appointments at Kareena Private Hospital, National Day Surgery and Prince of Wales Private Hospital.
After attending Harvard Medical School in the United States to complete specialist training in hip and kneem, Dr Dixon received a Sports Medicine Fellowship at the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra and subsequently obtained experience in shoulder and knee surgery and arthroscopy through a Knee and Shoulder Fellowship in Sydney.
Dr Geoffrey CS Smith
MBChB MRCS (Ed) FRACS (Orth) FAOrthA
Dr Smith is an Orthopaedic surgeon specialising in shoulder and elbow surgery.
Dr Smith obtained his medical degree at the University of Leeds, UK and began surgical training in Edinburgh receiving membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2001. He migrated to Australia in 2002 and completed Advanced Orthopaedic Training being awarded Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2010. In 2011 he was the Shoulder and Elbow Fellow at the Royal North Shore Hospital before returning to the UK for the Shoulder and Elbow Fellowship at the Avon Orthopaedic Centre and the Elbow and Upper Limb Fellowship at the Bristol Royal Infirmary. In 2014 he was elected a member of the Shoulder and Elbow Society of Australia.
Dr Smith's research include the biomechanics of rotator cuff repair, reverse shoulder arthroplasty and elbow hemiarthroplasty.