NZ Surgeon Honoured for Exceptional Contribution to Surgery

ROYAL AUSTRALASIAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS
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NZ Surgeon Honoured for Exceptional Contribution to Surgery

Thursday August 13, 2015
Professor Alastair Rothwell ONZM FRACS was today presented with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons’ (RACS) Colin McRae Medal in recognition of his contributions to surgery across a long and celebrated career.

The Medal, presented to Professor Rothwell at the RACS New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting in Queenstown, is New Zealand’s most prestigious surgical award and commemorates the life and work of the late Colin McRae, an outstanding New Zealand surgeon and former RACS President.

The award recognises and promotes the art and science of surgery and surgical leadership in New Zealand and honours those who have made outstanding contributions in this field.

Upon receiving the award, Professor Rothwell said it was a tremendous privilege to receive recognition for work about which he was truly passionate.

"To receive the Colin McRae medal is certainly a great highlight to crown the end of my career.

"I had the pleasure of working alongside Colin McRae and to be given an award in his name truly is an honour," Professor Rothwell said.

An orthopaedic surgeon, Professor Rothwell was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to orthopaedic surgery in 2006.

In 2009 he was awarded the Gold Medal for Excellence in Teaching by the University of Otago, Christchurch and this year marks his 50th consecutive year of teaching medical students.

Professor Rothwell is renowned for establishing and supervising the internationally recognised New Zealand Joint Registry.

Alongside Plastic Surgeon Stewart Sinclair, Professor Rothwell is also the founder of the Upper Limb Surgery Programme for the restoration of upper limb function for tetraplegic persons at the Burwood Spinal Unit in Christchurch. Both Alastair and the Spinal Unit have received international acclaim for their quality of surgical procedures and associated research.

In nominating him for the medal, Professor Rothwell’s colleagues described him as a remarkable man with an enviable record as a surgical teacher, researcher and clinical leader.

ABOUT RACS

RACS is the leading advocate for surgical standards, professionalism and surgical education in Australia and New Zealand. The College is a not-for-profit organisation that represents more than 7000 surgeons and 1300 surgical trainees and International Medical Graduates. RACS also supports healthcare and surgical education in the Asia-Pacific region and is a substantial funder of surgical research. There are nine surgical specialties in Australasia being: Cardiothoracic surgery, General surgery, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedic surgery, Otolaryngology Head-and-Neck surgery, Paediatric surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive surgery, Urology and Vascular surger

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