Fellowships | Chris O'Brien Lifehouse

Dr James Wykes

Chair of the Perioperative and Operating Theatre Committee and Head of Surgical Services

Director Head and Neck Fellowship Program

Head and Neck Surgeon

The Head and Neck Department at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse offers a clinical fellowship program for domestic and international surgeons for a period of 12 months. Three fellowship positions are offered each year, one commencing in January and 2 positions in July.

The fellowship involves working for all Head and Neck consultant surgeons and is under the supervision of Dr James Wykes. The training programme aims to increase knowledge and understanding of the management of head and neck conditions, predominantly focusing on oncology. It will provide fellows with training and skills in head and neck surgical resection as well as reconstructive techniques including microvascular reconstruction. Fellows are involved in the full range of clinical activities at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse Head and Neck Service and other affiliated institutions, including running and presenting Multidisciplinary Team Meetings, Morbidity and Mortality meetings and weekly education sessions.

In addition, the fellowship offers head and neck research opportunities with access to a large clinical database and translational research opportunities through Lifehouse and affiliated research and academic institutions. Fellows are expected to publish and/or present at a national or international conference during their fellowship. The fellowship is remunerated at $90 000 AUD/annum and is open to applicants from ENT, Plastics, General Surgery and Maxillofacial surgery backgrounds who have completed their speciality-specific training.

Next available fellowships

Please note that the next available fellowships are for January and July 2027 intakes, with selections finalised by the end of 2025. Applications are open from 1 February 2025 to 1 November 2025. To be considered for a position, the candidate must have completed a bachelor’s degree in Medicine. Applicants are strongly encouraged to visit the hospital as an observer to understand what a fellowship at the unit entails.

Successful applicants are advised at least twelve months in advance of commencement of the fellowship. For enquiries and observership applications, please contact our department secretary, Ms Gilda Lindstrom, who will kindly assist you with this process, headandneck@lh.org.au.

Current Fellows 2024

Dr Frank Reilly, plastic surgeon, Ireland
Dr Wei Sian Lim, ENT surgeon, Singapore
Dr Samuel Okerosi, ENT surgeon, Kenya
Dr Rahul Jayakar, Plastic surgeon, New Zealand
Dr ZhouHao Leong, Laryngology

How to apply
Applicants are encouraged to visit the hospital as an observer to understand what a fellowship entails.

For any questions, email headandneck@lh.org.au

Observership

Observership
This involves observing surgical cases, attending ward rounds and clinics and observing the general activity undertaken by our current fellows for a period of between one week to three months between February and November. This gives valuable insight into what to expect as a fellow. However, observers cannot treat patients at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. You will be responsible for organising your own accommodation and travel. If you would like to visit the hospital as an observer, you will need to provide the following documents in English (or translation supplied) to the Department Manager:

Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Proof of ID
All Medical Qualifications
If not in English, a certified translation of the documents to accompany qualifications
Documented evidence of the following vaccinations:
1. Diptheria, Tetanus and Pertussis
2. Hepatitis B
3. Measles, Mumps and Rubella
4. Varicella (Chicken Pox)
5. Tuberculosis
  (for those applicants born or living in Asia, South America, Africa, Eastern Europe and Pacific Islands for more than 3 months in last two years.)
Copy of passport with Visa

Fellowship and Next Steps
After your visit as an observer, if you would like to apply for a fellowship, email the Head and Neck Department Manager. If you are successful you’ll receive a letter of offer and contract by email. Once we have received a signed contract, we’ll be in touch with details on the documents required to continue with your appointment.

Domestic Approved Fellows

Domestically appointed fellows need to provide the following documentation:

AHPRA Number emailed to the Department Manager.
Completed Medicare form requesting either an initial provider number or an additional provider number that will allow the hospital to bill patients on the fellow’s behalf. Applications can take up to six weeks to be approved.
The contact details of two referees

Additionally, you may be asked to provide documentation for credentialing purposes both at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and various affiliated institutions.

International Approved Fellows

If you are accepted as an international fellow, there are three main processes to be completed so that you are able to travel to Australia and treat patients at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. The time from application for a fellowship to completion of these steps can take up to one year.

Visa nomination and visa application
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Endorsement
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) approval

Visa nomination and visa application
The hospital will support applicant visas by providing a visa nomination request with immigration. For this nomination, the following documents must be supplied in English:

Signed contract
A copy of the letter of offer
Position description
Certified copy of your CV
Certified copies of your passport as well as any family members travelling with you
Certified copy of a reference letter (provide link to Immigration)
Certified copy of your International English Language Testing (IELTS) results (note, this is a prerequisite for AHPRA and RACS registration)

AHPRA, RACS and Induction

AHPRA
All doctors working in Australia must be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). AHPRA is responsible for managing the registration and renewal processes for health practitioners. Further information can be found here.

RACS
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) is responsible for endorsing all applications prior to AHPRA approval. For the RACS application, you will need to complete the AAMC-30 Form. Doctors are responsible for their own costs associated with RACS endorsement. Refer to the RACS and AHPRA Document Checklist for the required documents.

APHRA and RACS Approval
Once your application has been received by AHPRA your application will be given to a case manager who will provide you with feedback within three to four weeks of your application being received. Applications take approximately eight weeks until final approval.

Once the RACS application has been submitted you will receive an email acknowledging your application within two working days. You should receive endorsement from RACS approximately two weeks following your successful submission.

Once you have received approval from RACS, AHPRA and the Department of Immigration, you can organise your trip to Australia. The Department Administrator can assist you with any questions you may have in relation to your temporary migration to Australia.

Set up and Induction
Before you start, you will need to meet with a member of the HR team to finalise your set up. This will involve supplying bank details and applying for your NSW Working with Children Check. On arrival you will receive an induction and a tour of the hospital.

Credentialing at Affiliated Hospitals
As part of your fellowship, you will be required to work at different affiliated hospitals. The Department Administrator will assist with organising credentialing for affiliated public hospitals; however, fellows are responsible for organising credentialing at private hospitals. The Department Administrator will give you all the information you need to organise this.

Previous Fellows

2024
Dr Frank Reilly
Dr Wei Sian Lim
Dr Samuel Okerosi
Dr Rahul Jayakar
Dr ZhouHao Leong

2023
Dr Raj Mendis
Dr Daniel Van Gijn
Dr Nisha Akali

2022
Dr Tim Manzie
Dr Leba Sarkis
Dr Jereme Gan

2021
Dr Laurent Fradet
Dr Kevin Nguyễn
Dr Edward Morrison

2020
Dr Narayana Subramaniam
Dr Michael Hurrell
Dr Jonathan Fussey

2019
Dr Rebecca Dawson
Dr Neena Irawati
Dr Simon Muller

2018
Dr Tim Eviston
Dr Georg Haymerle
Dr Siti Sudiriman

2017
Dr Richard Dirven
Dr Eileen Tan Gore
Dr Yan Monnier

2016
Dr Fiona Smithers
Dr Nikolaus Mockelmann
Dr Rahul Jayaram

2015
Dr Gregor Heiduschka
Dr Joel Smith
Dr James Wykes
Dr James Baldani

2014
Dr Conor Barry

2013
Dr Deepak Balasubramanian
Dr Ardalan Ebrahimi

2012
Dr Ashlin Alexander
Dr Sinclair Gore

2011
Dr Markus Brunner
A/Prof Sydney Ch’ng

2010
Dr Jacob D’Souza
Dr Ardalan Ebrahimi

2009
Dr Balazs Lorincz
Dr Michael Kernohan

2008
Dr Veronique-Isabelle Forest
Dr Kathryn Roth

2007
Dr Marc Moncrieff
Dr Brian Swinson

Dr Lorna Sneddon
Dr Raj Patel
Dr Richard Martin
Dr Ceri Hughes
Dr Tom Vauterin
Dr Marc Dom
Dr Jennifer Andruchow
Dr Graham Smith
Dr Luc Bron
Dr Jeffrey Adams
Dr Francis Hall
Dr Irv Pathak
Dr Jeremy McMahon
Dr John Chaplin