Fiona Wood: Repairing Burn Wounds through Skin Regeneration
Dr Fiona Wood’s journey has taken three decades, it has been one of treating burn injuries while bringing basic science to the bedside focusing on helping people whose lives have changed in an instant and ‘making sure the quality of the outcome is worth the pain of survival’. People who know her well, know that last bit is her personal mantra. It’s the one her patents can rely on her to deliver.
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ABOUT Dr Fiona Wood
“Dr Fiona Wood is a British-born Australian plastic surgeon who invented “spray-on skin” technology for use in treating burn victims. She graduated from St. Thomas’s Hospital Medical School in London in 1981.
She went on to earn her primary fellowship (1983) and fellowship (1985) from the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS). She moved to Perth in 1987 after marrying surgeon Tony Keirath, a native of Western Australia.
She became Western Australia’s first female Plastic Surgeon after earning her fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) in Plastic and Reconstructive surgery (1991). In 2002, Dr Wood and her team worked day and night to care for badly burned victims of the Bali bombings. It was during this time that the “spray-on skin” cell technology Dr Wood pioneered for use in treating burns victims received international headlines.
Awards
In recognition of her work with the Bali bombing victims Dr Wood was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2003. That same year the Australian Medical Association bestowed upon her the ‘Contribution to Medicine’ Award. She was named West Australian of the Year in 2004, as well as receiving nominations that same year as a National Living Treasure and Australian Citizen of the Year. She was again named West Australian of the Year in 2005 and received the honour of being named Australian of the Year in 2005.
In 2005, Dr Wood, along with McComb Foundation co-founder Marie Stoner, won the Clunies Ross Award for their contribution to Medical Science in Australia. From 2005 to 2010, she was voted Australia’s Most Trusted Person in the annual Reader’s Digest survey. Her unwavering dedication to burns survivors, as well as her 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. She is mother to four boys and two girls.
The VIDEO
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