Bringing a wealth of knowledge, passion and forward thinking, Griffith Base Hospital has welcomed Dr S.C. Kate FitzGerald, a specialist and pioneer in breast cancer treatment.
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Recruited internationally from Glasgow, Dr Fitzgerald has come to Griffith with her family, and is set to work closely with surgical director Dr Jaya.
She is looking forward to building on his ongoing work and developing surgical services.
Attracted here by the appealing weather and lifestyle, Dr FitzGerald is excited to use her surgical skills in a different regional setting.
“I was attracted to Griffith as, having grown up on a farm in Ireland, I have always had a love for the countryside,” she said.
“I felt that Griffith offered me the opportunity to help develop surgical services in a rural setting, while also being a great place to live with a young family and be part of a welcoming community.”
As well as general surgery, Dr FitzGerald is a specialist in oncoplastic breast surgery and her arrival means more patients can be treated here in Griffith rather than having to travel further afield.
Her sub-specialist interest is the management of breast disease and people with breast cancer, and shares how she became fascinated in this particular area.
“When I was training, breast surgery for treatment of breast cancer was a mastectomy,” she said.
“When I saw that I thought, well you didn’t need much skill to do that, and I didn’t see how I could get any enjoyment out of it.”
About a year after she was working with a ‘newer-breed’ of surgeon who was introducing new way of doing surgery requiring more skill and knowledge of the breast anatomy.
“I remember he gave me a DVD of one of the best in breast surgery from Italy… and that was the first time I thought that this is something truly fascinating.”
Since then she has been instrumental in developing new surgical techniques for the management of breast cancer in Glasgow.
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Originally from Limerick, Dr FitzGerald graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Medical School in Dublin in 2000 and undertook basic surgical training.
She later moved to Glasgow, Scotland to complete higher surgical training. For the past six years, she has worked as a Staff Surgeon in general and oncoplastic breast surgery in Glasgow.
Murrumbidgee Local Health District Acting Chief Executive Maurice Ahern welcomed Dr FitzGerald as a specialist and the newest addition to clinical staff at GBH.
“We are delighted to welcome her to our clinical team, bringing many years of international experience and knowledge in the treatment of general and oncoplastic breast surgery,” Mr Ahern said.
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