John Spillane is a general surgeon with subspecialty training in upper gastrointestinal surgery and surgical oncology. He has a special interest in the management of oesophagus and stomach cancers as well as skin cancers and melanomas. He has a public hospital appointment at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and is a member of Australian and New Zealand Gastric and Oesophageal Surgical Association (ANZGOSA) and the Surgical Oncology Society of Australia. He is an honorary lecturer in the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Melbourne.John obtained his medical degree from Monash University and completed his surgical training at Monash Medical Centre. He undertook subspecialty training in surgical oncology, upper gastrointestinal surgery and advanced laparoscopic surgery. This included training in the United Kingdom initially in the Newcastle Deanery and then subsequently at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. He then returned to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre as a consultant surgeon in the Upper Gastrointestinal and Hepato-biliary unit and skin & melanoma service.
John has developed a strong interest in the nutritional support of the patient’s with upper gastrointestinal cancers as well as using exercise physiology to improve patient’s fitness prior to surgery. He specialises in the laparoscopic management of intra-abdominal cancers and in particular total gastrectomies and minimally invasive oesophagectomies.
He also has a large experience in the palliative management of these tumours. John works extensively in a multidisciplinary team when managing his patient’s. This includes medical oncologists, radiation oncologists as well as dieticians, exercise physiotherapists, stomal therapists and specialist nurse practitioners.
John has a long interest in research and is actively involved in a number of national and international clinical trials. Over the past 20 years he has been involved in the education of Monash and Melbourne university students as well as international medical graduates. He is passionate about the training of future Australian surgeons and is the Director of Upper Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary training at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and a member of the Faculty of Surgical Educators at the Royal College of Surgeons of Australia.
