Craniofacial fellowship - Applications for our 2025 Craniofacial Fellowship are now closed and the next available fellowship will be for July 2026. Applications will be open through the Careers page on the RCH website in late February 2025 and will close on 30 June 2025
Our Craniofacial Fellowship is a 12-month clinical position, commencing July 2026, oriented primarily towards cranio-maxillofacial surgery, although a full range of paediatric plastic surgery is covered within the Department. Please note that it is a pre-requisite of the fellowship that applicants are qualified Plastic Surgeons. From a craniofacial standpoint the Department averages approximately 40-50 transcranial cases per year. In addition, there are approximately 60 new cleft cases treated per year at this hospital. The Craniofacial Fellows are encouraged to complete a research project during their tenure with us. These are usually submitted for publication in a peer review journal. This is a paid fellowship position. For further details email
plastic.surgery@rch.org.au.
Hand/Microsurgery clinical fellowship - Applications for our 2025 Hand and Microsurgery Fellowship are now closed and the next available fellowship will be for August 2026. Applications will be open through the Careers page on the RCH website in late February 2025 and will close on 30 June 2025
The fellowship is a 12-month clinical position, commencing August 2026, oriented primarily towards hand and microvascular surgery, although a full range of paediatric plastic surgery is covered. Please note that it is a pre-requisite of the fellowship that applicants are qualified Plastic Surgeons. The Melbourne Paediatric Hand Centre at the Royal Children's Hospital has five dedicated paediatric hand surgeons - Prof. Christopher Coombs, A/Prof. Bruce Johnstone, A/Prof David McCombe, Mr Will Alexander and Mr Damon Thomas. The fellowship experience encompasses all facets of paediatric hand surgery including complex congenital reconstruction, trauma, cerebral palsy, obstetric brachial plexus palsy and paediatric microsurgery. Excellent teaching opportunities are also provided by assisting consultants in their private hand practices. Other activities for those with appropriate qualifications include locum consultant work at the Royal Children's Hospital. The successful applicant is required to complete a research project during their tenure for submission to a peer review journal. This is a paid fellowship position. For further details email plastic.surgery@rch.org.au.
Oral and maxillofacial clinical fellowship - Applications for our 2025 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Fellowship are now closed and the next available fellowship will be for August 2026. Applications will be open through the Careers page on the RCH website in late February 2025 and will close on 30 June 2025
The fellowship is a 12-month clinical position, commencing August 2026, oriented primarily towards the management of paediatric oral and maxillofacial surgery. The Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) Clinical Programme at the Royal Children's Hospital has five maxillofacial surgeons - A/Prof Jocelyn Shand, A/Prof Andrew Heggie, Dr Patrishia Bordbar, Mr Ricky Kumar and Mr Will Rodgers. The fellowship experience encompasses all aspects of paediatric OMS and includes the skeletal management of secondary cleft and craniofacial conditions, traumatic injuries and pathology of the maxillofacial region and orthognathic surgery for developmental facial deformity. Excellent teaching opportunities are also provided by assisting consultants in their private maxillofacial practices. The successful applicant is required to complete a research project during their tenure for submission to a peer review journal. This is a paid fellowship position. For further details email
plastic.surgery@rch.org.au.
Medical students
The department supervises a number of Advanced Medical Science (AMS) students each year. For more information please contact The University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics Clinical School.
Psychology student research - paediatric craniofacial disorders: neuropsychological issues from infancy to adolescence
Craniofacial disorders involve visible deformities of the skull and face. Many craniofacial disorders feature craniosynostosis; the premature fusion of one or more of the fibrous joints separating the bony skull plates. Craniosynostosis typically occurs in utero, and restricts and distorts skull and brain growth. In most cases, surgery is required during infancy to expand and remodel the skull. Research has shown that children with craniofacial disorders may experience thinking, learning and behaviour problems. However, the literature to date has been described in quite broad terms, and there is still much that we do not know about the impact of these conditions upon children's development and school performance. The Department of Plastic & Maxillofacial Surgery is expanding its research activities into the neuropsychological implications of craniofacial disorders upon infant and child development. Students interested in undertaking research will have the opportunity to investigate a seldom-studied paediatric population, and to explore the interrelationships between pre- and postnatal growth factors upon thinking and behaviour, from infancy through to adolescence. For more information, please contact
Annette Da Costa.
Registrar training
The Royal Children's Hospital has positions for two accredited trainees in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery as part of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Advanced Surgical Training Program. These trainees spend six months at Royal Melbourne Hospital and six months at the Royal Children's Hospital. Timetables are designed to focus on Hand and Microsurgery for 3 months and on Cleft and Craniofacial Surgery for 3 months. Our Consultants have a major involvement in the delivery and administration of advanced surgical training.
Similarly, there is a trainee position in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery as accredited by the Board of Studies (OMS) Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. This post is a 6-monthly rotation.
Resident training
Residents rotate through the plastic surgery department for three months and are either in basic surgical training or are part of the residency program at the Royal Children's Hospital, frequently leading to a career in paediatrics. On the job experience with the support of the consultants, registrars and fellows as well as the specially developed resident's handbook gives the residents a first hand experience in the management of the diverse conditions presenting to our department. Where appropriate, they are encouraged to develop their surgical skills in fully supervised theatre sessions.
Visiting scholars
Our department is a focus for overseas visitors ranging from Professors and Directors of internationally renowned departments through to busy Plastic Surgeons from the Asia Pacific region, to foreign Medical students visiting Melbourne on an elective. Please contact Plastic.Surgery@rch.org.au if you would like to visit our department as an observer. Please note however, that we are currently only accepting domestic visitors as there are strict border restrictions preventing us from hosting overseas visitors at the current time. Once restrictions are lifted visitors are welcome to apply for an observership.