NSW’s rock star surgeons and their life outside the operating theatre
Whether they are social media stars with names such as “King of Boobs” or pioneers of their fields, we take a look at NSW’s rock star surgeons and their life outside the operating theatre.
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Surgeons are one of the most trusted professions across the world.
They work in exceptionally high-pressured situations to deliver the best outcomes for patients.
Many choose to keep to themselves, and stay out of the public eye, while others use their profiles to educate, raise money and advertise the success of their practices.
The use of social media has become popular in the plastic surgery game, with Sydney plastic surgeons Dr Michael Miroshnik, “the breast master”, and Dr Kourosh Tavakoli, “King of Boobs”, two of the first on Instagram. They now have massive followings kicked along by celebrities and Instagram influencers.
Leading plastic surgeon consultant David Staughton said it was mostly the young and upcoming plastic surgeons that were increasingly becoming social media sensations.
He said Drs Miroshnik and Tavakoli were two of the sharpest, highest earning plastic surgeons that have led the way on Instagram.
“They were the first into Instagram in Australia,” he said. “That’s how they market themselves and build a relationship with patients.”
He said plastic surgeons had the ability to use social media to their advantage posting before and after photos, which is what customers want to see, along with a sneak peak into their high flying lives.
He said Hunter Plastic Surgery practice manager Amber Moncrieff, the wife of renowned plastic surgeon Dr Nicholas Moncrieff, was one of the best when it came to managing social media.
“She runs a clean, professional show and brings patients in for photo shoots,” he said.
“Everything is well polished an she makes sure the photos are very real.”
While other surgeries don’t produce the same glamorous results – with not many people keen to see before and after pictures of internal organs – rock stars have emerged in their own right through their work, research and innovation – the inspiration that is neurosurgeon Dr Charie Teo AM, along with the work and life story of orthopaedic surgeon Professor Munjed Al Muderis who has been improving the lives of amputees.
Here’s a snapshot of NSW’s rock star surgeons –
Dr Cindy Mak
Dr Cindy Mak is a general surgeon who specialises in breast cancer and is the Director of Breast Services at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in Camperdown.
Dr Mak has been described as “a total boss” of the industry, also part of the team at The Mater and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
The Sydney University-trained surgeon is a strong voice when it comes to breast cancer. She is a member of a huge list of breast cancer organisations and is active across social media.
When it comes to breast cancer she is often called upon as an authority, having spoken at national and international conferences, featured in podcasts and appeared on various television shows such as The Full Monty Ladies Night, RPA and This Time Next Year.
Dr Mak’s research has been published in international journals and she has also contributed to Kaz Cook’s Women’s Stuff
She sits on the board of the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation and helps to raise funds for ongoing research and equipment.
Dr Michael Miroshnik
Dr Miroshnik’s Instagram page, followed by more than 134,000 people, describes him as the “breast master”.
Dr Miroshnik, who is based in Bondi Junction, specialises in cosmetic and plastic surgical procedures and has developed a reputation for producing natural, beautiful results with minimal scarring.
“To me, plastic and cosmetic surgery is a precise art form which in the new millennium is about achieving the look you want that is custom-tailored not only to your physical desires but also your lifestyle,” Dr Miroshnik states on his website.
“I pride myself in achieving the very best and most natural looking results possible, with a priority of obtaining them with the minimum amount of downtime.”
Dr Miroshnik, who trained at the University of Sydney, has won many Global Aesthetic Awards including best plastic and best aesthetic surgery and practice in Australasia, as well as being an international hall of fame recipient.
During his career, Dr Miroshnik has spent time with leading plastic surgeries and surgeons in London, Paris, Rome and Stockholm and has also featured in magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Good Health.
His use of social media shows not only high profile patients and impressive before and after photos, but also a look in his private world.
Dr Nick Hartnell
Dr Nick Hartness is well known across the Southern Highlands as the “Bone Surgeon”.
Dr Hartnell is a renowned orthopaedic surgeon with over two decades of experience, specialising in knee surgical care.
His start-up company BLT gained publicity in 2018 when it announced a joint project with Allegra Orthopaedics to develop Dr Hartnell’s revolutionary idea to use a kangaroo tendon xenograft as an alternative to ligament reconstruction.
In conjunction with Sydney University, he identified that the kangaroo tendon had three times the mechanical strength of the human knee ligament with the potential to provide solutions for knees along with the shoulder, ankle, hand and foot.
Dr Hartness is also the Australian distributor of the TASKA, a bionic hand giving amputee patients the ability to perform simple tasks such as washing their hands, and using a computer mouse.
The Bowral local is also helping to mould the minds of future doctors in his role as clinical senior lecturer at the University of Wollongong. He is well known throughout the community not only for his work but his generosity having donated a home to a local domestic violence organisation.
Dr Kourosh Tavakoli
With a nickname “King of Boobs, it’s no wonder Dr Kourosh Tavakoli has a combined following of more than 600,000 people across social media.
The renowned plastic surgeon from the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney is one of the most in-demand and a choice for models and TV personalities across Australia and New Zealand.
Dr Tavakoli, with a Master of Surgery from UNSW, has more than 20 years experience, performing more than 900 surgeries each year and was the pioneer of the internal bra and fat grafting in breast augmentation surgery.
He is known as a master of natural look breast augmentations and teaches aspiring plastic surgeons.
He has made many television appearances on shows such as The Morning Show and Sunday Night, however social media is where he dominates and aims to educate people on cosmetic surgery.
Across Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and other channels, he has managed to attract a following of more than 600,000 people.
Dr Charlie Teo AM
He’s the go-to surgeon for the most complex of brain tumours. Even when there’s no hope, people look to Dr Charlie Teo AM.
When it comes to surgeons, you can’t get much closer to a “rock star” that Dr Teo – he rides a motorbike, has had food named after him and has a former model as his partner.
There’s not many Aussies or neurosurgeons across the world who haven’t heart of Dr Teo and his inspirational work.
His work has included the development of keyhole techniques in neurosurgery, training many of the world’s leading figures in neurosurgery and writing two books on the keyhole approach to brain tumours.
The prominent neurosurgeon has a social media following through The Charlie Teo Foundation which has more than 50,000 followers, not to mention his Facebook fan page which also has almost 40,000 followers.
He has raised millions in his desire to find cures for recurrent brain tumours.
He is quoted on The Charlie Teo Foundation page:
“When it comes to preparing for surgery, I like to see myself as some sort of elite athlete.
“When you look at those athletes, one thing that really comes across is this amazing focus.
This amazing drive to win … And that’s what I try to do to prepare for surgery. I tell myself this patient is my loved one. I’m going to treat this patient like they are a member of my own family. What would I do if it was a family member? I’d make sure everything was optimum. I’d make sure my personal state was optimum, the people around me had the same mentality, my team was the best and my equipment was the best. That’s what I do for every patient.”
Professor Andrew Spillane
Another authority and rock star in the breast cancer game is Professor Andrew Spillane, who is based in Crows Nest.
Prof Spillane is a renowned surgeon who specialises in the surgical management of breast cancer, melanoma and soft tissue tumours.
He is the Professor of Surgical Oncology at The University of Sydney sharing his experience and knowledge with medical students,
Prof Spillane, who studied at the University of Tasmania, is also a senior visiting medical officer (VMO) surgeon at the Mater North Sydney, Royal North Shore Hospital and North Shore Private Hospitals.
His list of roles and achievements is long, including his past role as President of Breast Surgeons of Australia and New Zealand Inc, member of the Breast Cancer Trials Scientific Advisory Committee and Faculty Member of Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA).
He also has “Breast sub-editor” on his list contributing to the ANZ Journal of Surgery.
His research has involved quality assurance in surgery, the safe introduction of new surgical techniques and promoting clinical trial involvement by surgeons.
He is also one of the leaders on an international study which looks at the most appropriate surgical margins on primary melanomas. The idea behind the study is to increase health outcomes and decrease morbidity.
Dr Andrew Browning AM
Dr Browning is a world renowned obstetric surgeon and gynaecologist who has saved the lives of more than 7000 pregnant women though pioneering surgical techniques.
While he may not be a household name, Dr Browning has dedicated nearly 20 years of his work to saving lives in Africa including 13 years in Ethiopia and Tanzania as a senior fistula surgeon.
It wasn’t until the release of his book A Doctor in Africa that his story, endorsed by HRH Princess Royal Princess Anne, became known.
The father of two, originally from Bowral, specialises in obstetric fistula surgery and lectures all over Europe and the US.
In 2020 Dr Browning hit headlines when he was granted an extraordinarily rare permit to travel to Africa to save lives in the midst of COVID-19 lockdowns.
Dr Browning made the plea after receiving photos of a whole community of children dying from severe malnutrition.
“I got approval in 30 minutes,” Dr Browning told News Corp Australia at the time.
“I just wrote that I’ve been asked to get over there, this is a worsening situation because of the coronavirus lockdowns and they replied within half an hour that I could go which was quite remarkable, miraculous really.
“While we worry here in Australia that we can’t go to our local pub and restaurant because of COVID-19 restrictions, people are suffering and dying in other areas of the world as COVID-19 restrictions cripple normal services.”
Dr Browning runs the Barbara May Foundation, which raises funding and awareness for Dr Browning and his aunt Valerie Browning AM to provide lifesaving maternal healthcare in regional and remote Africa.
Dr Nicholas Moncrieff
Hunter Plastic Surgery’s Dr Moncrieff is a leader in the field of breast implants, reductions, lifts and tummy tucks.
He’s a legend in the industry, not to mention among clients and the community who have embraced #moncrieffmagic.
Patient photo shoots are a common event, with his clinic recently launching a line of luxurious limited edition satin robes described as “the perfect treat for yourself or the person in your life who loves to flaunt their #MoncrieffMagic!”
The hugely popular Newcastle-based plastic surgeon co-founded his award-winning clinic with his wife Amber in 2009 and has a passion for transforming the lives of women through expert advice and surgery.
A flick through his social pages, followed by more than 20,000 people, shows a reel of ecstatic patients proudly showing off their new features thanks to #moncrieffmagic.
Dr Moncrieff has had 20 years surgical experience, performing more than 20,000 procedures locally and likes listening to electronic music during surgery.
When he’s not at work, he’s spending time with his three sons and fishing.
The clinic took out four international awards at the MyFaceMyBody.com Global Aesthetic Awards in 2020, making it the most awarded plastic surgery clinic with 23 local, national and international awards since 2015.
The latest awards included Australasian Surgical Makeover of the Year, Australasian Customer Experience of the Year, Australasian Practice Website of the Year and Australasian Ruby Achievement Award.
Professor Munjed Al Muderis
The story of Professor Munjed Al Muderis’s journey from asylum seeker to refugee to top Australian orthopaedic surgeon is well-known and has captured the hearts of Australians.
When he refused orders to remove the ears of defecting soldiers in Iraq – under Saddam Hussein – a new path was set for Prof Al Muderis who arrived in Australia on a flimsy wooden boat more than 20 years ago.
He is now an orthopaedic surgeon and clinical lecturer at Macquarie University and The Australian School Of Advanced Medicine. His speciality is hip, knee and trauma.
However his passion lies in prosthetics and he is a world leading surgeon in the field of osseointegration, which offers a better quality of life and improved mobility for amputees. His surgical innovations are helping Australians and people throughout the world.
Prof Al Muderis self-funds outreach and charity projects to treat amputees in countries such as Iraq, Jordan and Cambodia. He and his team also train locals in osseointegration and build infrastructure to streamline the use of the technology around the world.
His work with amputees led him to meet Prince Harry in 2015, following his pioneering work to help UK soldiers to walk.
Prof Al Muderis is also in the Australian Air Reserve and an Ambassador for the Australian Red Cross.
He has often spoken in public about the plight of refugees in Australia.
“It really disheartens me now when I see refugees, the way they get treated, and we are 20 years from the time I was in detention,” he told the Refugee Communities in Cultural Transition.
“Things have gone downhill and gotten worse, and it shouldn’t because people should move forward.”
Dr Louis Wessels
Dr Louis Wessels at One Cosmetic Potts Point counts many celebrities, models and influencers among his plastic surgery clients.
With an Instagram account with more than 32,000 Dr Wessels and One Cosmetic is prominent in social media circles.
Dr Wessels focuses on cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery as well as facial cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.
The father of two has published world-leading research on breast implant surgery and outcomes and is also a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of Macquarie University.
Dr Wessels received his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in South Africa, training in one of the most challenging clinical environments.
When it comes to results, see for yourselves at One Cosmetic’s Instagram page with photos, selfies and before and after shots of patients enjoying their latest looks. Dr Wessels has also appeared on television shows including The Today Show.
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