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/