Dr Swee Tan ONZM, MBBS, PhD, FRACS, Executive Director

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Prof Swee Tan

Dr Swee Tan is the Founder and Executive Director of the GMRI.

Involved with plastic surgery for over 28 years, both as a highly skilled surgeon and a world-renowned researcher, Dr Tan has a particular focus on addressing disfiguring and life-threatening conditions by understanding them at a cellular and molecular level.

His research has achieved international acclaim.

 

Current positions

  • Executive Director, Gillies McIndoe Research Institute, since 2009
  • Consultant Plastic and Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgeon, Hutt Valley DHB, since 1995
  • Founder and Director, Centre for the Study & Treatment of Vascular Birthmarks, since 1996

 

Previous positions

  • Director of Surgery, Hutt Valley DHB, 2007-2013
  • Adjunct Professor in Plastic Surgery, University of Otago, 2008-2011
  • Director of Plastic Surgery, Wellington Regional Plastic, Maxillofacial & Burns Unit, Hutt Valley DHB, 2000-2006
  • Clinical Senior Lecturer, Department of Surgery, Wellington School of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Otago, 1996-2006
  • Craniofacial Research Fellow, Craniofacial Centre, Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA., USA, 1995
  • Craniofacial Fellow, Oxford Craniofacial Unit, Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, UK, 1994
  • Senior Registrar in Plastic Surgery, Centre for Plastic, Maxillofacial & Oral Surgery, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, Middlesex, UK, 1993
  • Advanced Trainee in Plastic Surgery, Wellington Regional Plastic, Maxillofacial & Burns Unit, Hutt Hospital, 1992
  • Advanced Trainee in Plastic Surgery, Plastic Surgery Unit, Burwood Hospital, Christchurch, 1990-1992
  • Advanced Trainee in General Surgery, Princess Margaret Hospital, Christchurch, 1989
  • Surgical and Intensive Care Registrar, Department of Surgery, Christchurch Hospital, 1988

 

International patents

  • Stem cell population and methods of isolation and use thereof (PCT/NZ2011/000120), 2011
  • Methods and compositions for treating cancer (PCT/NZ2011/000177), 2011
  • Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy (PCT/NZ2015/05108), 2015
  • Treatment of fibrotic conditions (PCT/NZ2016/050187), 2015
  • Treatment of vascular anomalies (US 62/287657), 2016
  • Cancer therapeutic (US 62/452479), 2017

 

Honours and awards

  • KEA World Class New Zealand Award, 2015
  • Featured in the Museum of Wellington in-the-round theatre experience – Nga Hau
  • Sapphire Pin to Paul Harris Fellowship, Rotary International, 2015
  • Wellingtonian of the Year – Science and Technology, 2014
  • New Zealand Value of Medicines Award, 2014
  • Inspire Wellington Ambassador Award, 2014
  • Nominated for KiwiBank New Zealander of the Year Award, 2014 (declined)
  • Dr Kennedy Elliot Memorial Lecturer, Wellington Medico-legal Society, 2014
  • CRC Named Lecturer, 8th National Conference for Clinical Research of Malaysia, 2014
  • Finalist, KiwiBank New Zealander of the Year, 2013
  • Semi-finalist, KiwiBank New Zealander of the Year, 2012
  • McCully Lecturer, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, 2012
  • Fervent Global Love of Lives Medal, Taiwan, 2012
  • ONZM, Queen’s Birthday Honours, 2011
  • Royal Australasian College of Surgeons’ Research Award, 2011
  • New Zealand Medical Association Chair’s Award, 2010
  • Chris O’Brien Orator, Australian & New Zealand Head and Neck Cancer Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting, Manly, Australia, 2010
  • Guest Speaker, American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ Meeting, Toronto, Canada, 2010
  • Honorary Membership, Eastern Hutt Rotary Club, Lower Hutt, 2010
  • Royal Australasian College of Surgeons’ Award for Outstanding Service, 2010
  • Chris O’Brien Orator, Australian & New Zealand Head and Neck Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting, Freemantle, Australia, 2009
  • Paul Harris Fellowship, Rotary International, 2007
  • Wellingtonian of the Year (Science & Technology), 2005
  • Inaugural Sir David and Lady Manchester Travelling Scholar, 2005
  • Award of Excellence – International Congress On Oral Cancer, 2003
  • Living Treasure, Museum of Wellington – City and Sea, 2003

 

Prizes

  • Best poster, 10th International Conference on Cancer Stem Cells and Oncology Research, London, UK, 2017
  • International Dupuytren Award 2017 (for basic research), International Dupuytren Society, 2017
  • Australian and New Zealand Head and Neck Cancer Society Research Foundation Prize, 2014
  • National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia Conference Education Award, 2013
  • Emmett Prize, Brisbane, Australia, 2012
  • Prize for the best basic science paper, Congress of the International Confederation for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Vancouver, Canada, 2011
  • Prize for the best paper, New Zealand Plastic Surgery Registrar Annual Training Course, Wellington, 2012
  • Prize for the best basic science paper, New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons’ Annual Scientific Meeting, Auckland, 2010
  • Prize for the best overall paper, New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons’ Annual Scientific Meeting, Auckland, 2010 (selected to represent New Zealand at the International Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Society Meeting, Vancouver, Canada, 2010)
  • John Mulliken Prize for the best basic science paper, International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies Workshop, Brussels, Belgium, 2010
  • Prize for the best paper, 80th Scientific Meeting of the Wellington Health and Biomedical Research Society, 2010
  • Prize for the best paper, Australian and New Zealand Head & Neck Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Freemantle, Australia, 2009
  • Prize for the best paper, Australian and New Zealand Head & Neck Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Melbourne, Australia, 2008
  • Prize for the best paper, Wellington Health and Biomedical Research Society Meeting, 2007
  • Prize for the best basic science paper, New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons’ Annual Scientific Meeting, Wellington, 2007
  • Prize for the best clinical paper, New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons’ Annual Scientific Meeting, Wellington, 2007
  • Young Investigator’s Award for the best basic science paper, Australian & New Zealand Head and Neck Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Sydney, Australia, 2005
  • Prize for the best scientific poster, Annual Scientific Congress, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Perth, Australia, 2005
  • Louis Barnett Prize for the best scientific poster, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons’ Annual Scientific Meeting, Hamilton, 2005
  • Prize for the best scientific paper, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons’ Annual Scientific Congress, Auckland, 1999
  • ANZBA Prize for the best scientific paper, Australian & New Zealand Burns Association Meeting, Queenstown, 1997

 

Professional memberships

  • Elected Member, New York Academy of Sciences
  • Elected Member, International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies
  • Elected Member, International Federation of Head & Neck Oncologic Societies
  • Founding Member, Australian & New Zealand Craniomaxillofacial Surgeons’ Society
  • Elected Member, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
  • Fellow, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
  • Elected Member, Australian and New Zealand Head & Neck Cancer Society
  • Fellow, International Congress On Oral Cancers
  • Elected Senior Member, Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
  • Elected Member, New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons
  • Elected Member, Royal Society of New Zealand
  • Elected Member, New Zealand Medical Association
  • Full Medical and Specialist Registration with New Zealand Medical Council
  • Founding Member, Australasian Vascular Anomalies Network

 

Editorship of journals and periodicals

  • Associate Editor, Frontiers in Surgery
  • Associate Editor, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
  • Associate Editor, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open
  • Guest Editor, Special Issue (Non-melanoma Skin Cancer in the Head and Neck), International Journal of Surgical Oncology
  • Member of Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery

 

Reviewer of journals and periodicals:

  • Acta Paediatrica
  • American Journal of Pathology
  • Angiogenesis
  • Archives of Dermatology
  • Archives of Dermatology Research
  • Archives of Ophthalmology
  • Australian and New Zealand Journal of Surgery
  • British Journal of Dermatology
  • British Medical Journal
  • Dove Medical Press
  • European Journal of Paediatric Dermatology
  • Frontiers in Surgery
  • Head and Neck
  • International Journal of Surgical Oncology
  • JAMA Dermatology
  • Journal of Clinical Pathology
  • Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology
  • Journal of Hematology and Oncology
  • Journal of Pediatric Dermatology
  • Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery
  • Microvascular Research
  • Modern Pathology
  • New Zealand Medical Journal
  • Oncotarget   
  • Pediatric Research
  • Pediatrics
  • Pediatric Blood and Cancer
  • Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
  • Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open
  • PLoS One

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