Mr David Morgan MB BS FRACS

Mr David J Morgan is a fully qualified Specialist Plastic Surgeon based in Melbourne.  He has a particular interest in the management of facial trauma, cosmetic facial surgery, rhinoplasty, cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery, and skin cancer management.

Following his graduation from the University of Melbourne in 1993, Mr Morgan commenced his surgical training and was subsequently accepted into the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery training program. In 2003 he completed this program and became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS).

In late 2004, Mr Morgan began a Clinical Fellowship in Craniofacial Trauma and Reconstruction through the University of Toronto in Canada, before he also completed a Clinical Fellowship in Aesthetic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery at Vancouver’s University of British Columbia.

After his experience in Canada, Mr Morgan returned to Australia in 2006 and was appointed as a consultant plastic surgeon at both The Royal Melbourne Hospital and The Alfred Hospital, where he specialised in the management of facial trauma. He has since been appointed as The Alfred Hospital’s head of Faciomaxillary Surgery.

In 2016, Mr Morgan was appointed as National Chair of the Australian Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the body responsible for overseeing the training of future plastic surgeons Australia-wide.  He held this position until March 2020.

Mr Morgan is an active member of Interplast, and is currently the country representative for the Kingdom of Tonga.  He regularly undertakes volunteer surgical missions to the island to perform much needed plastic surgery procedures.

Dr Brigid Corrigan MBBS FRACS (Plast)

Brigid Corrigan completed her medical degree at the University of Western Australia. After graduating she gained experience in a variety of specialties prior to undertaking advanced training in plastic and reconstructive surgery in Western Australia from 2004-2007. She then did fellowships in both reconstructive and cosmetic surgery in Cork, Ireland, Oxford, UK and Melbourne, Australia. She returned to Perth in 2010 and was appointed as a consultant plastic surgeon at Royal Perth Hospital and also commenced private practice as a specialist plastic surgeon. She was head of department of Plastic Surgery at RPH from 2014-2019.

Dr Corrigan has special interests in aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery, body contouring surgery and hand surgery. She is a current examiner for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and a councillor for AMA (WA). She regularly travels to Tanzania with Rafiki surgical missions to perform reconstructive surgical procedures and train local medical staff in plastic surgery techniques.

Dr Mikko Larsen MD (Hons) PhD FEBOPRAS FRACS

Dr Larsen became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in December 2018. He emigrated with his son to Australia in 2016, and followed the International Medical Graduate Pathway to Fellowship. He completed a microsurgery fellowship at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in 2017 and then settled in Launceston, Tasmania where he practices at the Launceston General Hospital, and in private practice.

Dr Larsen was raised in USA, Denmark, Norway and The Netherlands and graduated from Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands in 2002. In 2011 he completed a PhD thesis on experimental microsurgery conducted at Mayo Clinic’s Microvascular Research Laboratory in Rochester, Minnesota. His plastic surgery training was completed in Amsterdam the same year, followed by a fellowship in hand and wrist surgery at Leuven University Hospital, Belgium. He held an academic appointment at Brussels University Hospital until 2013 and then established a breast and head and neck reconstructive surgery department in The Hague.

Currently, he is active as teaching faculty for the Australia and New Zealand Burns Association and Interplast. He is actively involved in teaching trainees and hospital staff, with an emphasis on maintenance of a broad range of technical and non-technical skills pertinent to work in a regional centre. Dr Larsen is passionate about the importance of a healthy work-life balance that can be a challenge to younger fellows.

Dr Rebecca Won B Med (Plast) PFET Hand Surgery 

Rebecca is a Specialist Plastic Surgeon with an interest in Hand and Cosmetic Breast Surgery. She completed her undergraduate medical degree at the University of Newcastle in 2004 before being awarded her Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) in Plastic Surgery in 2014. Her PFET (Post Fellowship Education and Training) in Hand Surgery was awarded in 2017. She completed a Cosmetic Breast Surgery fellowship on the Gold Coast between 2016 and 2018. Dr Won has practiced privately in Brisbane since 2016.

Dr Won treats public patients as a Visiting Medical Officer in both the Plastic Surgical and Hand Surgery Departments at Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital, a busy tertiary level hospital in South East Queensland. She is also employed by the University of Queensland as a Clinical Senior Lecturer in Surgery at the Medical School.

Dr Won was the Queensland Chair of the Younger Fellows Committee at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons from 2020 to 2022. She currently sits on the Medical Advisory Committee of Spring Hill Specialist Day Hospital, and was part of the Implementation Liason Group for the Orthopaedic MBS Item Number Review Committee from 2020 to 2022. More recently she presented before Queensland parliament in regards to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Surgeons) Amendment Bill 2023.

Rebecca is passionate about patient safety, the benefits of ongoing education and training, and the importance of diversity in the workplace. She believes in open, collaborative communication between all stakeholders to achieve meaningful, evidence based, health care sector reform.

Dr Sydney Ch’ng MBBS PhD FRACS (Plast)

Sydney is a Plastic Surgeon specializing in head and neck skin cancer management including melanoma and complex microsurgery reconstruction. She is based at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital jointly employed by the Plastic Surgery, Head & Neck and Melanoma & Surgical Oncology departments. Sydney is also an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney and currently supervises 2 PhD and 4 MPhil students in research.

Sydney is passionate about the future of Plastic Surgery, working closely with multiple surgical specialties: Otolaryngology Head & Neck, General and Maxillofacial Surgery. She understands the intricate and challenging balance between collegiality, collaboration, patient care and turf protection.

Dr Sydney Ch’ng promotes advances in Plastic Surgery, achieved through clinical and basic science research. She is a member of the Australasian Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Research Network (APRSRN), and will advocate for more emphasis on research at all levels from pre-program selection to ongoing participation post-FRACS.

Sydney is a working mother with a young daughter and a son who works full-time and juggles family and work commitments with the support of her husband and mother. She appreciates the importance of diversity whilst preserving meritocracy.

Dr Yvonne Chow MBBS FRACS (Plast)

Yvonne completed her undergraduate medical degree in 2000 at Monash University. She gained FRACS (plastics) fellowship in 2010 and completed a breast reconstruction fellowship at  the University of British Columbia in Vancouver Canada in 2011. She is the Clinical Head of Breast Reconstruction at Monash Health (Australia’s largest and busiest Plastic Reconstructive surgery Unit) and strongly advocates for patient’s access to breast reconstruction.

Yvonne also takes an active interest in mentoring pre-SET registrars, as well as accredited PRS SET selection and training. In this current climate, she would like to increase the experience of aesthetic/cosmetic plastic surgery during SET training.

Yvonne is the current Honorary Secretary for the Victorian Chapter of ASPS and sits on multiple hospital medical advisory committees and has also been appointed to Medical Panels in Victoria.

Dr Naveen Somia PhD FRACS (Plast)

Naveen is a Past President of the Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). He is a member of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and The American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS). Between 2009-2011 Dr Somia served as Deputy Chairman of the Breast Implant Registry, a National Government Health and Safety Initiative.

Dr Somia’s training in Plastic Surgery in Melbourne included Geelong Hospital, Monash Medical Centre, Western Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute and Austin Hospital. Dr Somia completed the final two years of his training in Sydney where he trained at Prince of Wales, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Westmead and Royal North Shore Hospital.

Dr Somia completed a Cosmetic Surgery Fellowship Accredited by American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, working with Dr Foad Nahai and Dr Rod Hester at Paces Plastic Surgery, Atlanta. He also completed an Eyelid Surgery (Oculoplastic) Fellowship under Dr Sonny McCord and Dr Mark Codner in Atlanta.

Dr Somia was awarded a PhD for his 3 year research into Eyelid Reanimation using implantable micro electrodes and the study of Eyelid Movements. This helped Dr Somia develop a passion for Eyelid Surgery.

Dr Somia has won numerous awards for his research both in Australia and in the US. Amongst them is the 2003 Marshall Prize in Surgical Training at Monash University, Melbourne. Dr Somia’s research earned mention in the Highlights of the American College of Surgeons Annual Meeting, was nominated as a Finalist at the American Society of Biomechanics and won two Best Poster Awards at Research Louisville.

New advances in science and technology are driving changes in Plastic Surgery. Dr Somia keeps abreast of new advances by scientific research and attending conferences, workshops and symposiums that allow him to incorporate recent advances into his practice to benefit patients. Dr Somia takes an active interest in the teaching, training and mentoring of Australia’s future plastic surgeons, a role that he enjoys.

Dr Somia is a published author of several scientific papers in Plastic Surgery. These studies can be found at the US National Library of Medicine as well as leading Plastic Surgery journals.

Dr Richard Barton MBBS FRACS (Plast)

Richard is a Melbourne trained Plastic Surgeon with a dual international fellowship in microsurgical reconstruction and adult craniomaxillofacial surgery, including rhinoplasty and facial aesthetic surgery. Following the completion of specialty training in Australia Richard embarked on a double international fellowship with appointments at Oxford University Hospitals UK, and Vancouver General Hospital Canada. During his 2.5 years overseas Richard worked as the Senior Plastic Surgical Fellow and as a Consultant Plastic Surgeon in Oxford, gaining further experience in breast, head and neck and sarcoma reconstruction and hand surgery. He then completed an Adult Craniofacial Fellowship focussing on bony facial trauma and post-traumatic deformity reconstruction including rhinoplasty, with the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Richard has current public hospital appointments at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Alfred Hospital and Monash Health, where he manages adult facial trauma and complex microsurgical head and neck reconstruction. He is the RACS, Surgical Supervisor for Plastic Surgery Trainees and Director of the Advanced Microsurgical Fellowship for internationally qualified Plastic Surgeons at The Royal Melbourne Hospital. In his private practice Richard manages a diverse range of plastic surgical cases with a specific interest in reconstructive and cosmetic surgery of the face and nose. He performs breast surgery, body contouring surgery, hand surgery and provides the full spectrum of surgical skin cancer treatment.

Dr Eldon Mah MBBS FRACS (Plast)

Mr Eldon Mah is an Australian trained specialist plastic surgeon working in both the public and private sectors in Melbourne. He is the founder and principal surgeon at Parkside Plastic Surgery and the Scar Clinic, and holds an appointment as a consultant surgeon at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne.

After receiving a fellowship of Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in Plastic Reconstructive Surgery in 2010, he completed a year long fellowship position at Toronto General hospital in Canada in reconstructive microsurgery, focusing on complex reconstructive procedures for breast, sarcomas, head and neck surgery.

Eldon is the clinical lead for sarcoma reconstruction at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne with a long and close working relationship with soft tissue sarcoma resection surgeons. With more than a decade of service and over 700 case series, Eldon is one of the most experienced sarcoma reconstructive surgeons in Australia and has developed a unique approach to sarcoma reconstruction focusing on longer term functional outcomes and quality of one’s cancer survivorship.

For more than a decade, Eldon has been an active contributing member for three international organisations (WSRM, APFSRM, APSSM), and is a current council member of APFSRM and APSSM. He is a member of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) and Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Eldon has published his work comprehensively within the Plastic Surgery literature and has presented regularly at national and international plastic surgery meetings.

He continues to have an active role in teaching local trainees and overseas young surgeons, as well as ongoing clinical research and author of a reconstructive surgery textbook.

Dr Alexandra Turner MBBS FRACS (Plast)

Alex graduated from Medical School in the UK in 2000. Following postgraduate training in General and Orthopaedic surgery, Alex pursued a career in Plastic Surgery. She worked in world-renowned Plastic Surgery Units such as Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, and Guys & St Thomas’ Hospital in London.

Alex moved to Australia in 2008 and continued her Plastic Surgical career in major Hospitals within Melbourne and Adelaide. In 2016 she was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) as a Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon

Alex holds a Consultant Staff Specialist Position at Flinders Medical Centre.

Her private practice includes all facets of plastic surgery with a significant proportion being cosmetic surgery. She specialises in breast augmentation, surgical procedures for the body (weight loss surgery and body contouring, facial surgery, skin cancer surgery, hand surgery, men’s plastic surgery and paediatric plastic surgery.

Mr Dan Rowe MBBS FRACS (Plast)

Chair of the Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Dan has a special interest in Hand and Microsurgical Reconstructive surgery. He graduated from the University of Queensland and trained in both Brisbane and Melbourne. His training involved working with world leaders in microsurgery at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Victorian Hand Surgery Unit at St Vincents Hospital, and in Brisbane hospitals. Dr Rowe is experienced in all aspects of aesthetic surgery, including that of the breast, facial rejuvenation, and surgery following weight loss. Dr Rowe also undertakes international volunteer surgery through Interplast Australia, an international aid organisation associated with the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Professor Mark Ashton MB.BS, MD FRACS (Plast)

RACS Specialty Elected Councillor

Mark is the Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of Melbourne and Chair of Plastic Surgery at Epworth Freemasons Hospital. He is the former Head of Plastic Surgery at The Royal Melbourne Hospital (2001-2016).

Professor Ashton is a past President of ASPS and an Invited Editor for The Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal in America, and co-Editor in Chief of the Australasian Journal of Plastic Surgery. He is also an invited Faculty Member of the International Perforator Flap Course in Belgium and Chairman of the Melbourne Advanced Facial Anatomy Course.

Professor Ashton is a Specialist Plastic Surgeon and the Director of the Taylor Research Lab within the Anatomy Department of the University of Melbourne, a past Board Member and past Chair of the Surgical Committee for Interplast, a not for profit charity providing Plastic Surgery to the Asia Pacific. He has published nine book chapters and over 200 articles on plastic and reconstructive surgery in peer reviewed national and international journals.

Dr Sarah K Tolerton FRACS (Plast) MBBS(Hons) MS (Plast) BMedSci

Younger Fellows Representative

Sarah is an Australian trained Specialist Plastic Surgeon. The focus of her public and private practice is Adult and Paediatric Hand Surgery, Reconstructive Skin and Limb Surgery, and Microsurgery.

Completing her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery with Honours, Dr Tolerton commenced surgical training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 2012 and obtained her Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in 2017. At the completion of her training she joined an Interplast team in Laos as the inaugural scholarship recipient for the Australasian Foundation for Plastic Surgery International Registrar Program.

Dr Tolerton subsequently commenced the Post-Fellowship Education & Training (PFET) Programme in Hand Surgery at Royal North Shore Hospital and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in Sydney. Internationally, she undertook fellowships in Hand, Wrist and Microsurgery in London, Rotterdam and Paris.

On her return to Sydney, Dr Tolerton took up the position of Visiting Medical Officer at Sydney Hospital, Sydney Children’s Hospital, The Prince of Wales Hospital and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

Passionate about education and teaching, Dr Tolerton has represented trainees on the Australian Board of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and ASPS Council during her training and is currently coordinating The University of Sydney Master of Surgery Microsurgery Course. On the ASPS Council in the capacity of fellow, Dr Tolerton shares and represents the unique views and concerns of younger members.

Dr Lisa Ellis MBBS (Hons)

Trainee Representative

Lisa is currently completing her surgical training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Melbourne, Australia. She completed her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in 2015 with Honours through Monash University.

Dr Ellis is a current member of the World Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery and Academic Surgery and enjoys keeping abreast of new and developing global plastic surgery issues. Most recently she was awarded winner of the 2021 regional presentation for the ASPS Registrar Research Day .

Passionate about education in surgery, Dr Ellis is also currently completing her Masters of Surgery concurrently with her training, investigating online learning for medical students and junior doctors. On the ASPS Council in the capacity of coopted trainee, Dr. Ellis brings the unique viewpoint of a current trainee and communicates the opinions of younger members of ASPS.

Kim Hanna

Kim was appointed as Chief Executive in August 2021. Prior to that he had worked at ASPS as the Chief Operating Officer for five years. He is a graduate of the University of Adelaide, University of Technology Sydney, and University of New England. He has completed leadership courses at Columbia University, Asialink and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Kim’s previous positions include: Executive Officer Dictionary of Sydney, General Manager Art Month Sydney and several substantive management roles at the Australia Council for the Arts.

Kerrie Edwards

Kerrie Edwards has been appointed as the Community Representative on the ASPS Council to provide a community perspective on all matters relating to ASPS.

Kerrie has worked in Local Government for over 12 years, assisting senior executives and managing an array of Local Government projects.

In 2016, Kerrie gave birth to twin girls.  The pregnancy left Kerrie suffering a significant Rectus Diastasis which led to several problems, including chronic lower pain.  The condition impacted her life in many ways, making everyday activities particularly difficult.  Kerrie undertook an intensive physiotherapy program to assist in healing her diastasis, however it did not completely resolve the problem.  Abdominoplasty was recommended for Kerrie however she soon learnt that Medicare no longer covered the surgery for postpartum women.

After reaching out to various networks on social media, Kerrie learnt that she was not alone, with many postpartum women in a similar position.  Without cover, they would have to fund the surgery privately and at substantial personal cost.  She also learnt that it was only postpartum women with symptomatic rectus diastasis that could no longer obtain public cover for this treatment, with the item remaining for cases of massive weight loss or in cases following surgical removal of a large intra-abdominal or pelvic tumor.

Kerrie felt that this was discriminatory and decided to lodge a petition with the Australian Federal Parliament to reinstate Medicare cover for rectus repair for postpartum women.  The petition gained a lot of attention and amassed 13,022 signatures.  Dr Fiona Martin MP presented the petition to Parliament.

Kerrie’s petition was serendipitous in its timing as ASPS had been working on an application with MSAC.  Following the success of the petition, Kerrie is now assisting ASPS in gaining valuable feedback from the community to strengthen the renewed MSAC application.