Professor Fiona Wood

AM, FRCS, FRACS

Consultant Plastic Surgeon | Fiona Stanley Hospital and Perth Children’s Hospital

Winthrop Professor | School of Surgery, The University of Western Australia

Co-founder | Fiona Wood Foundation (formerly The McComb Foundation)

Fiona Wood has been a burns surgeon and researcher for over 30 years and is Director of the Burns Service of Western Australia (BSWA). She is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Fiona Stanley Hospital and Perth Children’s Hospital; co-founder of the first skin cell laboratory in WA; Winthrop Professor in the School of Surgery at The University of Western Australia; and co-founder of the Fiona Wood Foundation (formerly The McComb Foundation).

Professor Wood’s greatest contribution and enduring legacy is her work with co-inventor Marie Stoner, pioneering the innovative ‘spray-on skin’ technique (Recell), where today the technique is used worldwide.
In October 2002, Fiona was propelled into the media spotlight when the largest proportion of survivors from the 2002 Bali bombings arrived in Perth where Fiona led the medical team at Royal Perth Hospital to save many lives.

Fiona was named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2003. In 2004 she was awarded the Western Australia Citizen of the Year award for her contribution to Medicine in the field of burns research. Fiona was then named Australian of the Year for 2005. She is an Australian Living Treasure. Fiona is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science.

Fiona is married to fellow surgeon Tony Kierath and is mother to four boys and two girls.

Presentation

Striving for excellence in health with a multi-disciplinary team

We are living in a time where science and technology are advancing exponentially. Harnessing the power of science and technology is becoming increasingly complex with the role of the multidisciplinary team at the core of clinical care delivery.

Bringing together the triangle of care; the patient’s needs, the collective experience and knowledge of the team and the environment of operation will drive the clinical outcome. Understanding the drivers to health and wellness and the decisions made individually and made collectively underpin the opportunities for improvement in health care. Implementation of the best care relies on the knowledge of the clinical area and mutual respect of the team members and strong leadership. Expanding the team to include research and innovation will drive towards excellence.

The model of care of the Burns Service of Western Australia will be used to highlight the opportunities and challenges in building a robust multidisciplinary team.

Professor Fiona Wood