Matthew Brown

I Completed schooling in 1993, having been awarded dux of both primary and secondary schools, and attaining the 3rd highest matriculation score in Western Australia. I undertook medical school at the University of Western Australia, graduating with honours in 2000.

My internship was completed at Royal Perth Hospital. I completed the USMLE Step I and Step II during my intern year, attaining 95th and 96th centile rankings respectively. Immediately following internship, I was selected for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Basic Surgical Training programme.

During basic training, I rotated through structured clinical postings in emergency medicine, vascular surgery, general surgery, urology, and intensive care. With these postings and the related coursework, I honed a broad skillset in emergency assessments and procedures, critical care, and general perioperative management. I passed the Basic Surgical Training examinations (Surgery Part I) on my first attempt.

I served as a registrar in cardiothoracic surgery and general surgery, before embarking on my surgical PhD. In the three years that followed, I established murine models for tumour resection and sentinel lymph node biopsy. These models were harnessed to recently developed tools of in vivo immunological research, to study the impact of surgical interventions on the anti-tumour immune response. This work was completed in 2008, and has received several accolades in major forums, including the prestigious Villus Marshall Prize on two occasions (awarded by the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand for excellence in Urological research).

While completing my PhD, I began advanced surgical training in general surgery. These posts provided me with the opportunity to acquire a range of skills in open and laparoscopic general surgery, as well as vascular dissection and anastomosis. After a year of general surgical training, I began sub-specialty training in Urology (conferred fellowship in 2013).

After completing my FRACS, I was appointed to Guys Hospital (London) as a Clinical Robotics Fellow. This was an internationally competitive industry-funded position designed to prepare a select Urologist for a leadership role in robotic surgery. Under the direct tutelage of Professor Prokar Dasgupta (a world leader in robotic surgery), I attained a high level of proficiency in a full spectrum of robotic Urological procedures. This was facilitated by high case throughput, one-on-one mentoring on a daily basis, and a structured teaching program through the European Robotic Urological Society (ERUS). In completing this post, I also had the privilege of being named as the inaugural Vattikuti fellow in Robotic Surgery of Guys Hospital London. Upon completion of my fellowship in robotic surgery, I was invited to join the consultant staff of Guys Hospital. My remit was to undertake high-end prostate cancer diagnostics (including transperineal biopsy), general urology (laparoscopic and endourology) and robotic surgery.

In February 2015, I returned to my hometown of Perth (Western Australia) to take up a substantive position at the state’s new major public hospital (Fiona Stanley Hospital). I also co-founded Perth Urology Clinic (WA’s largest private Urology group practice). In 2019, I was appointed “Head of Robotic Surgery FSFHG” I have been undertaking general Urology, laparoscopic and retroperitoneoscopic upper tract surgery, endourology and high volumes of robotic Urological procedures.

As the Head of Robotic Surgery for Fiona Stanley Fremantle Hospital Group (FSFHG) I oversee robotic surgery teaching, surgical quality, financial performance and expansion of the programme. Under my leadership, the robotic surgery programme was announced as a finalist in the WA Excellence in Health Awards, 2019, Our programme uses a surgical simulator, which enables trainees to achieve objective metrics in efficiency and safety, prior to the commencement of any surgical procedures. The continued growth of surgical simulation and its implications for safety/quality remains an area of continued attention for our programme.

As a clinical innovator, I developed and implemented Australia’s first fully integrated local anaesthetic transperineal prostate biopsy service and streamlined the introduction of pre-biopsy MRI. Through this novel approach, we are delivering prostate cancer diagnostics level with the very best centres internationally but doing so in a medically advantageous and financially sustainable manner.

As the son of an eminent University of Western Australia Professor (Prof. Philip Brown), the importance of contributing to research has always been instilled in me. I completed a PhD in Surgical Immunology with Professor Bruce Robinson and Clinical Associate Professor Justin Vivian. As such, I am the only robotic surgeon in Western Australia with a PhD, and one a handful of consultant surgeons nationwide with this qualification. Since 2005, I have authored or co-authored over 40 published papers and abstracts. Furthermore, papers that I have authored or co-authored have also been presented at 29 local, national, and international conferences. In addition to these publications, with Professor Dickon Hayne and his team, I was awarded a competitive grant from the WA Cancer Palliative Care Network to study outcomes of the WA Public Robotic Surgery Programme, and our innovative multidisciplinary prostate cancer clinic. I am also a Chief Investigator for the successful NHMRC grant “The relationship between cancer surgery, lymph nodes, T cells and immunotherapy.”

Along with my clinical responsibilities and our business, I am a passionate and committed surgical educator. I have broad experience in many modalities of education including operative dissection/anatomy, procedural surgery, bedside teaching, lecturing, tutorial groups, seminars, animal based and and digital simulation laboratories, live surgery/videography and web-based multimedia platforms. In 2020, I co-supervised Dr Pravin Vaswambaran in his MS project examining the introduction of Transperineal Prostate Biopsy. I also have an international profile for surgical teaching and have proctored over 100 robotic procedures across Australia, as well as recto-prostatic tissue spacing (for radiotherapy) and transperineal prostate biopsy across Western Australia.

• Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
• Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand
• Australian Medical Association

I have a busy family life. Interests include: fitness (with a regular personal trainer), paddle boarding, entertaining friends/family with "low and slow" American barbeque techniques, and a passion for travel. More recently, I have begun to "foil" - an exhilerating watersport using a "batwing" design sail and a board with a winged centreboard.