Professor Christobel Saunders AO Elected Honorary Fellow of the American Surgical Association

Professor Christobel Saunders AO, Research Director of the Melbourne Medical School, has been elected an Honorary Fellow of the American Surgical Association in recognition of her significant contributions to the field of surgery and medical innovation.

The American Surgical Association is the oldest and most distinguished surgical association in the United States. Professor Saunders is the first Melbourne surgeon and only the seventh Australian to join the Association.

As a surgeon and clinician-scientist, Professor Saunders has been instrumental in the advancement of cancer management for over thirty years, both nationally and internationally. She was one of the first breast surgeons in Australia to practice oncoplastic/breast reconstructive surgery, and in 2001 set up the first training workshops, alongside plastic surgeons.

In addition to her role at the Melbourne Medical School, Professor Saunders is the James Stewart Chair of Surgery, Board Director at the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Alliance and consultant breast surgeon at Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and co-lead of the MDHS Transforming Healthcare Impact Domain.

Reflecting on the fellowship, Professor Saunders said, “It is indeed a huge honour to be elected Honorary Fellow of the American Surgical Association.”

“Meeting the fellows at their conference in San Diego last week was truly a privilege. They are an incredibly impressive gathering of academic surgeons and are fearless in their support of research and promotion of equitable high-quality healthcare, in what are somewhat trying times in the US.”

The Melbourne Medical School extends their sincerest congratulations to Professor Saunders on this extraordinary accomplishment.