Research Biography

Dr Rodney Cooter is a plastic surgeon based in Adelaide, South Australia. As a medical specialist, Dr Cooter performs a variety of plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery with a particular emphasis on breast aesthetics, breast reconstruction, skin cancer surgery, body and facial contouring.

Along with ongoing specialist surgical training and qualifications, Dr Cooter places clinical safety and wellbeing at the forefront of his commitment to patients under his care. This is supported by his enduring involvement with professional organisations innovatively leading the way for change and improvement in the medical arena.

Training

Dr Cooter completed medical school at The University of Adelaide in 1983 and then undertook a research-based Doctorate in Medicine in 1991. After further training here and in the United Kingdom from 1991-1992, he received a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 1993.

Appointments

Dr Cooter has held a range of professional appointments including of Head of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1997-2000, Director of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Royal Adelaide Hospital 1997-2002 and as visiting plastic surgeon to Mildura, Victoria 1994-2006.

He established Waverley House Plastic Surgery Centre in 2000 and currently practices from this location and the adjacent St Andrews Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia.

Although firmly based in Adelaide, Dr Cooter now also works one day per week as a consultant in an advisory role as Clinical Professor at Monash University (Melb). This position as clinical plastic surgical lead for the national Australian Breast Device Registry (ABDR) was formed after the worldwide PIP Implant crisis in 2012.

At that time, Dr Cooter was National President of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons and a member of the TGA Review Committee and Chief Medical Officer’s Advisory Panel.

The formation of the ABDR has resulted in all of Dr Cooter’s patients who receive a breast device – now automatically included in the Registry (unless they opt out) with the overall aim to improve patient outcomes with the assistance of a long term database.

Current Memberships / Affiliations

Membership and affiliation with related professional bodies include:

• Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS),
• Elected National President of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) from 2011 – 2013.
• International Society Aesthetics Surgeons (ISAPS)
• American Association Plastic Surgeons (AAPS)
• American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS- Amer)
• Editorial Boards of the international plastic surgical journals PRS and PRS-GO

As a commitment to improving patient safety standards Dr Cooter is also lead coordinator of the International Collaboration of Breast Registry Activities (ICOBRA) involving several countries. In addition, he is the Oceania representative on the newly formed International Confederation of Plastic Surgery Societies (ICOPLAST) involving 63 countries. ICOPLAST’s aim is to improve patient safety and corporate governance on a worldwide basis in the increasingly popular field of plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery.