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Surgery appointment 'gold medal' of career

31 May 2006

Professor Jeffrey Rosenfeld will continue to strive for excellence as the new Head of Surgery at the Central and Eastern Clinical School.

Distinguished neurosurgeon Professor Jeffrey Rosenfeld has been appointed Head of Monash's Department of Surgery at the Central and Eastern Clinical School.

Professor Rosenfeld's major area of research interest is in traumatic brain injury, and his quest is to improve the outcomes for people with these devastating injuries.

In his new role, Professor Rosenfeld will lead the Department of Surgery at Monash and The Alfred hospital. He will also continue as Director of Neurosurgery.

"This position gives me a unique opportunity to take a leadership role in building surgical teaching and research at Monash and help educate the doctors and researchers of the future," he said.

"I will continue to strive for excellence and encourage the staff and students of the university to also strive for the highest levels of achievement."

Professor Rosenfeld has been acting in the position since the beginning of last year, when Professor Paul O'Brien left the role to start the Centre for Obesity Research and Education.

He said he was keen to further engage with the department's sister surgical departments at Box Hill Hospital, Cabrini Hospital, Monash Medical Centre and Frankston Hospital.

"I am also keen to develop research collaborations with other departments within the faculty to help build the academic profile of the department and with Monash departments outside the faculty, particularly the Faculty of Engineering in the area of robotics in surgery," Professor Rosenfeld said.

"We will also work closely with various departments in the Alfred Medical Research Education Precinct."

Professor Rosenfeld has received numerous awards including the King James IV Professorship and the Syme Professorship from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

He is an honorary professor of neurosurgery at the University of Papua New Guinea and the Capital University of Medical Sciences in Beijing.

Professor Rosenfeld was called the 'Wizard of Oz' after successfully operating on Sebastian Selo, a young English boy who suffered from severe seizures caused by a rare brain tumour known as hypothalamic hamartoma.

He has conducted more than 50 similar operations and has developed a new approach to operating on children and adults with this condition.

In 2002, he was named Victorian of the Year by the Herald Sun newspaper.

But Professor Rosenfeld described his latest appointment as the 'gold medal' of his career as it recognised his academic, administrative, teaching and clinical achievements.