Orthopaedics ACT
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‘We are very keen to build on the strength of our existing services to make access easier for those who live and work on the northside.’
Surgeons offer orthopaedic care at Calvary Orthopaedics ACT surgeons, from left, Dr Gawel Kulisiewicz, Dr Nicholas Tsai and Dr Igor Policinski.
Doctor biographies Dr Nicholas Tsai Specialising in trauma, spine, hip and knee, Dr Tsai graduated from the University of Sydney and did his internship and residency in Westmead. He worked as orthopaedic registrar at various hospitals in Sydney before joining the NSW Orthopaedic training scheme. After obtaining a fellowship with the Australasian College of Surgeons in 2009, he joined an AOSpine fellowship program in Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai. This provided extensive experience of management in degenerative cervical and lumbar conditions, as well as spinal trauma.
Dr Gawel Kulisiewicz
THREE of the surgeons at Orthopaedics ACT, the largest single group of orthopaedic surgeons in Canberra, will now be offering consulting services on the city’s northside, as the company expands to new rooms at Calvary Hospital. Dr Igor Policinski, Dr Nicholas Tsai and Dr Gawel Kulisiewicz are running appointment-only consulting sessions at a purpose-built clinic at Calvary Hospital in Bruce, while still seeing patients in Orthopaedics ACT’s rooms at Woden Specialist Medical Centre on Corinna Street. Orthopaedics ACT also offers consulting in Young, NSW. “The rooms at Corinna Street were built two years ago and we have now reached capacity,” says Dr Kulisiewicz. “The location at Calvary suits us in terms of meeting the demands of Canberra’s growing population. We are very keen to build on the strength of our existing services to make access easier for those who live and work on the northside. “A key aspect of orthopaedics is the ability to help someone regain a quality of life by restoring their function for daily activities that they had previously lost. This is what we do and we are very proud of the work we do.”
Orthopaedics ACT offers the expertise of eight orthopaedic surgeons, specialising in hip, knee, foot, ankle, shoulder, hand, elbow, spine and trauma, say the surgeons. It also provides a fast-track trauma/fracture clinic on Tuesdays for patients who don’t require transfer to emergency. “We work with the whole body, from fingertips to toes,” says Dr Policinski. “We provide anything from complex reconstructive surgery to trauma, crash injuries, joint replacement and microsurgery.” Dr Tsai specialises in spine and upper and lower body; Dr Kulisiewicz specialises in hip, knee and foot, and Dr Policinski specialises in shoulder and hand, including microsurgery. Other lower-body specialists at Orthopaedics ACT include Dr Damian Smith, Dr Phil Aubin, Professor Paul Smith and Dr Al Burns; with Dr Chris Roberts another upper-limb specialist. “Our vision is to gradually grow the clinic at Calvary, and to provide our level of excellence there,” says Dr Kulisiewicz. “Within a few months, depending on demand, we may see more of the group move out to consult at Calvary as well.
“We aim to expand our group of surgeons from eight in the future, growing organically and adding specialist surgeons as needed. “We will all still work out of our rooms in Woden and plan to spend time in both locations, in order to provide our services across the city, and we will continue to operate out of Calvary Hospital, Canberra Private Hospital and Barton Private Hospital.” As a group, Orthopaedics ACT believes that knowledge is power and is actively involved in educating and empowering its patients via the resources provided online, in handouts and a range of free patient information sessions. “To ensure our patients receive the optimum level of care we always have an experienced nurse on-site who is able to assist patients, either pre or post surgery, with additional questions or any concerns they may have,” says the clinic. “Our team of medical administrators is carefully recruited so that we offer both an experienced and caring team, who will support patients and their carers through the process of diagnosis, development of a treatment plan and implementation of the same.” Orthopaedics ACT, Calvary Hospital, 40 Mary Porter Avenue, Bruce, or Woden Specialist Medical Centre, 90 Corinna St, Woden. Call 6221 9320. Visit orthoact.com.au
With a focus on lower limb, specifically hip, knee, foot, ankle and trauma, Dr Kulisiewicz graduated from the University of Sydney in 1998, then went on to work at the Canberra and Calvary Hospitals as an intern, resident and registrar. After successfully completing his orthopaedic training and obtaining membership with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2008, he spent 18 months gaining further fellowship experience in hip, knee, ankle and foot surgery, including a foot and ankle fellowship in Sydney.
Dr Igor Policinski Specialising in upper limbs, specifically microsurgery of the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder, Dr Policinski grew up in Canberra, completed his medical degree in Poland then returned to Canberra and worked at Canberra Hospital for six years. After completing his Australian Accredited Orthopaedic Training, he and his family travelled to the US and Europe for two years so he could undertake specialist fellowships in upper limb. Following this, Dr Policinski returned to Canberra with a wealth of subspecialty orthopaedic experience.
CityNews September 22-28, 2016 13