Dr Varun Harish

Dr Harish is a Specialist Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgeon specialising in skin cancer and melanoma, burns, complex microsurgical reconstruction and body contouring surgery.

After graduating from the University of New South Wales with First-Class Honours and academic accolades, Dr Harish undertook junior medical training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH). During this time, he completed a Master of Surgery degree through the University of Sydney under the supervision of Emeritus Professor John Thompson and Dr Kenneth Lee. His formative years here together with awards for research excellence at RPAH (such as the John Segelov Memorial Scholarship) led to a strong passion for research and academia. Before long, Dr Harish was selected to undertake advanced, rigorous surgical training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery under the auspices of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. During his training, Dr Harish completed a Doctor of Philosophy degree with a thesis that examined the early management of burn injuries in New South Wales. His research has since been widely published and presented at regional and international meetings, and led to his appointment as a Reviewer for Burns, the premier medical journal worldwide in the field of burns surgery. Dr Harish’s pivotal research also led to prestigious academic awards including the John Brooke Moore Research Scholarship from the University of Sydney.

Upon completion of his surgical training, Dr Harish was selected for competitive international subspecialty fellowships in microsurgery and burns in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. He was granted a highly contested Younger Fellows Scholarship by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons to support his subspecialty training overseas. Dr Harish returned to Sydney and took up consultant positions at premier plastic surgical units at Royal North Shore and Liverpool Hospitals, where he mentors the future generation of Plastic Surgeons.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr Harish continues to engage actively in research and supervises a number of Masters of Surgery and Doctor of Medicine postgraduate students.

He was recently appointed by the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons as an Associate Editor to the Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery journal, the premier medical journal worldwide in the field of plastic surgery.