Fiona Wood FRCS, FRACS, AM, Winthrop Professor School of Surgery, UWA

Professor Fiona Wood came to prominence for her pioneering plastic surgery work with Bali bombing victims, when she led a courageous Royal Perth Hospital team and saved 28 patients from shocking burns and infection.

Fiona Wood was born in a Yorkshire coal mining village. Her parents and the Quaker Ackworth School, inspired her to work hard and serve the community. By 1975 she was studying in St Thomas’ Hospital Medical School, London and challenging the long tradition of restricted entry of women to medical schools and the field of surgery. She married Western Australian-born surgeon Tony Kierath and migrated to Perth in 1987. They have four sons and two daughters.

Professor Wood has been a burns surgeon and researcher for the past 20 years and is Director of the Burns Service of Western Australia (BSWA). She is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Royal Perth Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Co-founder of the first skin cell laboratory in WA, Winthrop Professor in the School of Surgery at The University of Western Australia. Professor Wood was named a Member of the Order of Australia in 2003; West Australian of the Year in 2004 and 2005; and 2005 Australian of the Year. Voted Australia’s Most Trusted Person between 2005 and 2010, Professor Wood’s unwavering dedication to burns survivors and commitment to improving and continually evolving the treatment of burn injury, has earned her a reputation as one of the world’s leading burn experts.

Fiona Wood’s mantra is “The quality of outcome must be worth the pain of survival”. ‘In Mind, Body and Spirit’ she will explore her personal and professional quest to deliver scarless healing to all burn injury survivors.

Fiona Wood is one of six women featured in the 2013 book; Inspiring Australian Women by Dr Kathryn Spurling, Visiting Scholar, School of History, ANU.

This event is supported by the ANU Gender Institute.

Enquiries: For further information contact Dr. Kathryn Spurling or Martina Fechner, ANU Gender Institute or 6125 6281.

Access: Free and open to the Public, no RSVP required.