Surgical News | Volume 23 | Issue 4
Dr Paul Heitmann, Peter King Research Scholar Gastroenterology and Hepatology, which was additionally featured on the cover of the November 2021 issue. Medicine wasn’t Dr Heitmann’s first area of study after leaving secondary school. He started a Bachelor of Physiotherapy and then deferred midway for a few years and even played in a rock band. After returning to study somewhat ambivalently, Dr Heitmann undertook a placement in an acute hospital trauma ward as a physiotherapy student, where he was drawn to surgery.
Dr Paul Heitmann from Adelaide was awarded the 2020 Peter King Research Scholarship. The Peter King Scholarship supports research on a topic relevant to the practice of surgery outside metropolitan areas and recognises the contributions the late Dr Peter King, FRACS made to RACS—particularly in rural surgery. Dr Heitmann completed a PhD during his scholarship term and was awarded the Flinders University higher degree by research student impact prize for his thesis, titled Colonic and Anorectal Function in Defaecation and Continence. “Disorders of defaecation, such as faecal incontinence, are common but poorly understood,” Dr Heitmann said. “There has been a lack of standardisation in clinical investigations and there is limited success with current treatments. The intent of my thesis was to further our understanding of the physiology of defaecation and normal continence as well as the pathophysiology of disorders of defaecation.” Dr Heitmann’s thesis included a combination of clinical studies as well as in vivo and ex vivo human studies. This work was presented at national and international conferences and generated seven publications, including a review article in Nature Reviews
“I was really drawn to the acuity of surgery,” Dr Heitmann said, “in that an illness or disease can be treated with an operation that can result in an immediate benefit for the patient (if all goes to plan!). I was also attracted to the mastery of hands-on skills, in that you never stop striving to improve and develop your technical skills during a career in surgery.” Professor David Wattchow, a colorectal surgeon at Flinders Medical Centre and Professor of Surgery at Flinders University, was both a mentor and one of Dr Heitmann’s PhD supervisors. “Professor Wattchow maintained a very busy clinical workload as well as teaching and research roles during his career. His ability to maintain roles as both a surgeon and scientist was influential to me in terms of developing my career to include research, teaching, and clinical work.” While he was a medical student at Flinders University, Dr Heitmann undertook extracurricular research projects in colorectal surgery. He developed relationships with Professor Wattchow and Associate Professor Phil Dinning, the scientist leading the Flinders gastrointestinal motility laboratory. So, when an opportunity arose for him to join the research team, he applied. The scholarship from RACS enabled Dr Heitmann to focus on the research without the pressure of a busy clinical workload to support his young family.
“You have nothing to lose by applying and, if you are successful, a RACS scholarship is hugely beneficial both personally and professionally. Now that his PhD is complete, Dr Heitmann and his colleagues have established an ongoing international collaboration with similar research groups in the USA, UK, France, and Mexico. The aims of this collaboration are to characterise the prevalence of disorders of anorectal function, and to assess the diagnostic and clinical utility of existing and novel measures of anorectal function. “I’ve also returned to General surgery training, for which I have two years remaining, with a plan to then undertake subspecialist training in colorectal surgery.” He encourages other doctors to apply for RACS scholarships. “You have nothing to lose by applying and, if you are successful, a RACS scholarship is hugely beneficial both personally and professionally. I really appreciate the support from the College and the impact it has had on my career.” ------------------------------------------
RACS offers more than 70 scholarships and grants valued at more than $2.5 million annually through its Scholarships and Grants Program. To learn more, visit www.surgeons.org/scholarships
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