Dr Andrew Ellis

The goal of all at OrthoNorth is to provide quality, teaching hospital level care to patients in both the local community and across wider Australia.

 

I believe in a patient-led approach, placing your choices and your goals at the centre of all my actions and the decision making of our team.

 

My elective practice is focused on lower limb reconstructive surgery, principally through hip and knee replacement, but also with a strong interest in neuromuscular disability of the lower limb. This encompasses arthroplasty and surgery in spasticity and tendon transfer for muscle imbalance in the foot and ankle. In my practice, we work in tandem with a tight-knit and highly skilled multidisciplinary team.

 

Currently, my hip practice is centred on the research and teaching of the Direct Anterior Approach in hip arthroplasty, particularly in understanding the effects and spino-pelvic kinematics. My arthroplasty techniques use pre-operative planning and simulation along with 3D printed guides to tailor positioning of hip arthroplasty components in a patient specific approach.

 

I am an active trauma surgeon of more than twenty five years experience, frequently involved in the care of patients requiring complex surgeries following accidents and emergencies. In my role as an on-call Senior VMO orthopaedic and trauma surgeon, I see adult and paediatric members of the local community and from further afield at Royal North Shore, our Level 1 Trauma Hospital. Over my extensive period of service, I have been privileged to help many thousands of patients with significant traumatic injuries back to recovery. Complex fracture management, limb salvage, traumatic soft tissue injury and wound management are often required in these cases.

 

My early career as Senior Lecturer in Orthopaedics at Sydney University helped develop a love of education and multi-disciplinary based research, and I was a co-founder of the Sydney Clinical Skills Centre, which is an integral part of the Northern Clinical School and has become one of the largest and busiest skills training centres in NSW.

 

Through roles within RNSH and commitment to the Australian Defence Force, I have made continued contributions in teaching and training including more than 40 ATLS/Early Management of Severe Trauma courses (most as Course Director), regular teaching on the Military Module of the Definitive Surgery of Trauma Course since its inception in 20 years ago, and the development and use of high-fidelity simulation in medical team training. I am an examiner in the Orthopaedic Court of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons.

 

An Australian trained surgeon supported by extensive international education, I am a fellow of both the Royal Australian College of Surgeons (Orthopaedics, 1995) and the Australian Orthopaedic Association (2002), with two and half years of residential training in the U.K. including at the Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and the Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Centre in Exeter, and visitation to leading U.S. orthopaedic units.

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Specialities

Dr Ellis operates privately through North Shore Private Hospital and through the NSLHD centres of Royal North Shore Hospital and Ryde Hospital.

knee

Reconstructive orthopaedic surgery

hips

Joint replacement (arthroplasty) of the hip and knee

neuro

Musculoskeletal trauma and injury, including complex fracture management, limb salvage, soft tissue injury and wound repair

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Reconstruction of the lower limb, especially due to neurological conditions

Leadership Roles

Dr Ellis is Head of the Department of Orthopaedics at Royal North Shore Hospital in Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD), where he has worked as a specialist orthopaedic surgeon for nearly thirty years.

 

Previously, Dr Ellis served as the Network Clinical Director in the areas of Musculoskeletal Health, Integumentary and Trauma (MIT) for Northern Sydney Local Health District, encompassing the Royal North Shore Campus and five associated hospitals for a period of four years.

 

Dr Ellis served nine years on the Board of the Australian Orthopaedic Association, ending as its President in 2019/20. During this time, the AOA redesigned its curriculum (AOA21), reviewed its Ethics and Code of Practice, consolidated and further developed the National Joint Replacement Registry and embarked on a journey of improving gender equity in that profession.

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The OrthoNorth Ethos

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We prioritize our patients’ needs.

Privacy

We recognise that all patients are unique including their physical and medical conditions as well as their personal requirements and needs. From the first consultation through to the time that a patient leaves our care, treatments are tailored to reflect those needs and requirements.

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We are conservative and cautious. We do not believe that surgical intervention is the first or best option in all cases. For many patients, other forms of treatment and conservative management may achieve an outcome that is at least as favourable as what might be achieved by surgical intervention.

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Many procedures, particularly joint replacements, may have a limited lifespan. We look at the longer-term needs of the patient when discussing treatment options.

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Patients are made fully aware of all options, procedures, likely outcomes, rehabilitation and long-term prognoses. Patients are made fully aware of what will happen during the rehabilitation process and its likely duration. Knowledge reduces anxiety and optimises the recovery process.

Professional Memberships

A Collaborative Care Model:

Dr Ellis works in a collegiate and multidisciplinary manner within the field of orthopaedics and across other specialities. He favours collaborative care, communicating openly with you, your treating doctor and your allied health professionals.

 

Some orthopaedic surgeons that Dr Ellis collaborates closely with in the northern Sydney area include: