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Top accolade for Monash surgeon

30 November 2005

A Monash professor will be awarded the highest research accolade given by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, the John Mitchell Crouch Fellowship.

Professor Julian Smith, Head of the Department of Surgery at Monash Medical Centre, will be presented with the award at the Annual Scientific Congress of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in May next year.

He is the first cardiothoracic surgeon to receive the fellowship, which was established in the late 1970s.

The award is presented annually, usually to a professor, for efforts over time in advancing surgical research.

As the award recipient, Professor Smith (pictured) will receive $60,000 for ongoing research within the Department of Surgery.

Projects currently being undertaken include pioneering the use of robotics in cardiac surgery, looking into subtle cognitive changes after cardiac surgery, investigating the outcomes of cardiac surgery across Victoria, and fitting a mechanical device around the aorta to help increase cardiac output.

Professor Smith said the Department of Surgery was collaborating with various Monash departments, including Psychology and Mechanical Engineering.

He said the award was a tremendous boost to himself, the Department of Surgery and his area of specialty, cardiothoracic surgery.

'We're a relatively small specialist group, so it is great to be able to make such a significant contribution to the area.

"This brings great prestige to Monash and the Department of Surgery," Professor Smith said.

The John Mitchell Crouch Fellowship commemorates the memory of John Mitchell Crouch, a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons who died in 1977 at the age of 36.