Munjed Al Muderis
Born (1972-06-25) 25 June 1972
Education1991: graduated from Baghdad College High School, 1997: graduated from Baghdad University[1]
Occupation(s)Orthopaedic surgeon, adjunct clinical professor, clinical lecturer

Munjed Al Muderis (born 25 June 1972) is an Australian adjunct clinical professor in orthopaedic surgery, author and human rights activist. He has done pioneering work on prosthetics, especially on titanium devices.[2]

Al Muderis was born in Iraq to a rich family and became a surgeon under the regime of Saddam Hussein. He was a medical student in Basra at the start of the Gulf War in August 1990. As a junior surgeon, he emigrated from Iraq to Australia. He travelled through Indonesia and Malaysia and reached Australia where he was kept in at an immigration detention centre near Derby, Western Australia. He was released after 10 months and carried on his career in medicine, eventually specialising in osseointegration surgery.[3]

Al Muderis wrote the book Walking Free on his experiences in Iraq, in the Australian immigration detention system, and on his career in Australia.

Early life

Al Muderis was born under the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.[4] His father was a former judge of the Supreme Court of Iraq and had authority in the Marine Corps, while his uncle was a descendant of the second royal family and Prime Minister, when Iraq was still a kingdom.[5] His mother was a school principal who had been demoted for refusing to join the Ba'ath Party.

Al Muderis graduated from Baghdad College High School in 1991, where he was a classmate of Qusay Hussein. He went on to study medicine at various universities, including the Baghdad University from 1991 to 1997, graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery.[6]

At the beginning of the Gulf War he was a second year medical student in Basra. He fled the city in the early days of the war, returning later to see the aftermath of the Basra uprising.

In 1999, he was forced to flee Iraq when he was working as a junior surgeon at Saddam Hussein Medical Centre in Baghdad.[1] A busload of army draft evaders were brought into the hospital for the top of their ears to be amputated under Saddam's orders. The senior surgeon in the operating theatre refused the orders and was immediately interrogated and shot in front of several medical staff. Instead of complying with the orders, Al Muderis decided to flee.[7] He escaped the operating theatre and hid in the female toilets for five hours. Shortly after, he fled to Jordan before the authorities caught up with him and moved on to Kuala Lumpur. From there, he took a people-smuggling route to Christmas Island, where he was sent to the Curtin Immigration Reception and Processing Centre. He was detained there until his identity was verified, given the number 982. He was punished with solitary confinement and was repeatedly told to go back where he came from after fellow detainees who caused riots blamed him. Ten months after being sent to the detention centre, he was granted refugee status and freed.[2]

Upon release, he only landed a job at Mildura Base Hospital as an emergency unit and orthopaedic resident, after sending out more than 100 resumes. A year later, he moved to the Austin Hospital in Melbourne and travelled to many different countries, completing specialisation fellowships and attending short-term courses.[1]

Osseointegration

Al Muderis developed the new generation of implant, osseointegration prosthetic limb, which addresses several issues previously faced by patients.[8] This led Orthopedics This Week[9] to praise Al Muderis as "The Most Incredible Orthopedist You'll Ever Read About".[10] The Osseointegration Group of Australia Team is made up of specialists in various fields. News Corp Australia and The Australian Women's Weekly rank Al Muderis as one of the world's top osseointegration surgeons.[11][12]

Traditional and rigid socket based technology is now replaced with a surgery that inserts a titanium implant into the bone. Osseoperception occurs as the prosthetic is anchored directly to the bone which would transmit sensory signals, resulting in patients recovering a certain level of feeling. The implant's surface is also made of highly porous titanium, providing the user with balance and allowing for ingrowth of bone. A dual adaptor is designed with a smooth surface to minimise friction and coated with titanium niobium for antibacterial purposes. The adaptor is fixed to a control device and is connected to the exterior of the prosthetic limb. Putting on and taking off the limb can be done in less than ten seconds.[8] Osseointegration surgery aims to provide amputees with greater mobility and reduced discomfort.[13]

Career

Al Muderis was a first year resident[1] at Saddam Hussein Medical Centre[4] in Baghdad before he fled Iraq and his career was disrupted. In Australia, he first worked at Mildura Base Hospital as an emergency unit and orthopaedic resident.[1] He moved to Melbourne four months later and worked at Austin Repatriation Hospital as a surgical registrar, followed by a year at Canberra Hospital.[1]

In 2004, he joined the Australian Orthopaedic Training Program. In 2008, he attained his surgical fellowship, FRACS (Orth).[14] He completed the following post specialisation fellowships:

  • Fellowship in Lower Limb Arthroplasty at the Sydney Adventist and Baulkham Hills Hospitals, Australia[6]
  • Fellowship in Hip and Knee Arthroplasty with Prof. Dr. Med Jorg Scholz at the Emil Von Behring Hospital, Germany[6]
  • Trauma Fellowship with Prof. Dr. Med. Axel Ekkernkamp at the Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin, Germany[6]
  • Robotic leg surgery post-specialisation training with Dr Horst Aschoff at Lubeck, Germany[6]

Al Muderis is a supervisor of the Australian Orthopaedic Trainee Registrar at the above-mentioned medical centres, and is a supervisor of overseas trained orthopaedic surgeons (Fellows) in hip and knee pathology.[6]

In 2010, Al Muderis commenced his private practice.[1] He is an orthopaedic surgeon and treats his patients at Macquarie University, Bella Vista, Drummoyne and Sydney Adventist Hospital clinics.[1] He is also appointed as an adjunct clinical associate professor in the School of Medicine, Sydney Campus at the University of Notre Dame Australia[6] and a clinical lecturer at Macquarie University Hospital and the Australian School of Advanced Medicine.[1] He also has appointments at the Sydney Adventist Hospital and Norwest Private Hospital.[1] He is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Australian Orthopaedic Association.[6] He is also the founder of the Osseointegration Group of Australia.[6]

As an Australian orthopaedic surgeon, he specialises in hip, knee, trauma and osseointegration surgery,[1] focusing in hip arthroscopy, resurfacing, arthroplasty, knee arthroplasty and reconstruction of recurrent patellar dislocations.[1]

Al Muderis chaired the 2015 Osseointegration Conference[15] and was a guest speaker at Australian Orthotic Prosthetist Association Meeting.[16]

Al Muderis has been recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for his work with British soldier Michael Swain.[17] He was invited by Queen Elizabeth II to attend the ceremony in which Swain received his MBE medal.[18]

Prince Harry visited Al Muderis on 7 May 2015[19][20] to follow up on Al Muderis' work and meet some of the amputees he has helped, including a decorated British soldier who lost his legs in Afghanistan who was undergoing groundbreaking treatment to fit prosthetic legs at Macquarie University Hospital.[21][22]

Al Muderis has connected prosthetic limbs to dozens of UK soldiers.[19]

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is spending £2m on trials that were to begin in 2016 and involve 20 amputees who were to undergo Al Muderis' osseointegration procedure.[23] Al Muderis has trained five British surgeons and they were to perform the surgeries together, then monitor those 20 cases for two years. A similar project was in the works for Canada and Houston, Texas.[10]

Al Muderis has presented and published numerous research reports on osseointegration surgery for amputees, how to measure growth rate in children, limited incision plating technique in management of clavicle fracture and describing new patterns of distal clavicle fractures dislocation.[24]

He has written two books about his life and experiences, the first in 2014, called Walking Free, and later in 2019 Going Back published by Allen & Unwin.[1]

Al Muderis was nominated for 2020 NSW Australian of the Year award for his humanitarian work and contribution to medicine.[25]

Controversy

Al Muderis has been the subject of a number of claims.[26]

In 2016 a patient suggested Al Muderis had not appropriately obtained consent from a patient for a procedure to be performed on his behalf by a trainee doctor and robot. A complaint made to the New South Wales Healthcare Complaints Commission was dismissed in March 2018.[27]

In 2017 Justice Stephen Rothman awarded Al Muderis $480,000 for "a most vicious and vituperative series of publications" that "vilified" Al Muderis after an online campaign by a patient who ignored post-operative advice.[28]

In 2022, a joint investigation by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes (all divisions of Nine Entertainment) alleged there were serious questions around Al Muderis's approach to patient selection and aftercare. Four patients described experiences ranging from life-changing to life-destroying. It was suggested that risks were minimised when their operations were explained to them, complications ignored and patients left wheelchair-bound or mutilated.[29]

Subsequently, a concerns notice was issued by lawyers for Al Muderis to Nine Publications, 60 Minutes, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers, to commence defamation proceedings. Over 60 allegations were detailed in the 41-page notice. Nine and Fairfax failed to respond to the concerns notice, within the 28 days' notice period.[30] On 31 October 2022, Al Muderis issued defamation proceedings against Channel Nine, Fairfax Publications and the Age company in the Federal Court of Australia.[31]

Humanitarian work

Beyond the Boats

Al Muderis was involved in a high-level round table on asylum and refugee policy held on 11 July 2014 at Parliament House which led to the asylum and refugee policy report "Beyond The Boats: building an asylum and refugee policy for the long term".[32] He related his own experience as a refugee to discussions about a new approach to asylum seeker policy.[33]

Amnesty International

Al Muderis has campaigned for Amnesty International, including leading the 2015 Human Rights Lecture.[34]

Red Cross

Al Muderis in 2015 became an Australian ambassador for the Red Cross.[35] He has spoken out about the misconceptions around seeking asylum in Australia and joined a panel at a live screening for the SBS program Go Back To Where You Came From[36][37] in the hopes of building a more compassionate and caring community.[38]

Iraq

Funded out of his own pocket, Al Muderis has taken a team to his former homeland of Iraq seven times, to help the victims of the conflict he fled, and has educated other orthopaedic surgeons in the osseointegration technique and in complex limb reconstruction.[39]

In 2023 Al Muderis returned to Iraq and saw over 150 patients.[40]

Unbroken

In February 2023, Al Muderis was made an ambassador to the "Unbroken" project in Ukraine after leading a team of Australian doctors who performed more than 20 extremely complex limb reconstructions and prosthetics operations at the hospital of the First Medical Association of Lviv.[41]

Other

He is a patron of the Asylum Seekers Centre, a not-for-profit that provides personal and practical support to people seeking asylum in Australia.[42]

Al Muderis visited patients at the Children's Surgical Centre in Cambodia on 20 September 2015 to provide their patients with osseointegration procedures.[43]

Personal life

Al Muderis has two sons and two daughters from previous relationships.[44]

Books

Walking Free

Walking Free was published in October 2014,[1] written by Al Muderis and contributed to by Patrick Weaver.[45] It was published by Allen & Unwin.[1] In his book, he shared his life and experience in Iraq under Saddam Hussein's regime, his journey to seek asylum in Australia and how he worked towards being a world leader in osseointegration surgery.[46]

Going Back

His second memoir, Going Back, was published in 2019 by Allen & Unwin.[47] The book describes his return to Iraq after eighteen years, at the invitation of the Iraqi government, to operate on soldiers, police and civilian amputees wounded in the war against ISIS.

Munjed al Muderis: From refugee to surgical inventor

In 2020 as part of a series of children's books – Aussie STEM Stars – about some of Australia's top scientists and inventors chosen on the basis of their pioneering work, a book about Al Muderis was written by Dianne Wolfer.[48]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Assoc. Prof Al Muderis, Orthopaedic Surgeon". Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 Greg Callaghan (20 September 2014). "The astonishing journey of surgeon Munjed Al Muderis". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  3. ↑ Callaghan, Greg (20 September 2014). "The astonishing journey of surgeon Munjed Al Muderis". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  4. 1 2 Lisa Hill (14 November 2014). "Walking Free by Munjed Al Muderis, with Patrick Weaver". Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "From penniless prisoner to bionic surgeon". Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Associate Professor Munjed Al Muderis". Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  7. ↑ Al Muderis, Munjed (2014). Walking Free. Australia: Allen & Unwin Australia. ISBN 9781760110727.
  8. 1 2 Fred Hernandez. "Amputee Implant Devices Osseointegration". Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "Orthopedics This Week". ryortho.com.
  10. 1 2 "The Most Incredible Orthopedist You'll Ever Read About". Orthopedics This Week. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  11. ↑ "Inspiring tale of former refugee Dr Munjed Al Muderis and war hero Michael Swain". News Corp Australia. 8 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  12. ↑ "From penniless prisoner to bionic surgeon". Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  13. ↑ Munjed Al Muderis. "Osseointegration". Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  14. ↑ "Specialist Details". Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  15. ↑ "Osseointegration Conference 2015 – Brisbane, Australia". Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  16. ↑ "Australian Orthotic Prosthetist Association Meeting, Orthodynamics Pty Ltd". Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  17. ↑ "Sydney's leading doctors are our modern day miracle workers". The Daily Telegraph. 21 June 2015.
  18. ↑ "Queen honours soldier Michael Swain who had 'bionic legs' fitted in Australia after losing legs in bomb blast". NewsComAu. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  19. 1 2 "Prince Harry to meet with Munjed Al Muderis whose pioneering surgery is helping UK soldiers walk again". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  20. ↑ "A/Prof Munjed Al Muderis: The refugee turned top surgeon who's caught Prince Harry's attention". news.com.au. 7 May 2015.
  21. ↑ "Macquarie University Hospital welcomes HRH Prince Harry | This Week At Macquarie University". www.mq.edu.au. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  22. ↑ "Prince Harry farewells Australia, greets fans at Sydney Harbour". ABC News. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  23. ↑ "Iraqi-born doctor leads scheme helping British military amputees walk again". Independent. 14 December 2015.
  24. ↑ "Specialist Details". Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  25. ↑ "Australian of the Year recipients".
  26. ↑ Scholefield, Antony (11 January 2023). "AHPRA must filter 'frivolous' complaints even if not vexatious: RACGP". Australian Doctor. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  27. ↑ Grieve, Charlotte (1 January 2023). "Celebrity surgeon Munjed Al Muderis denied fellowship for trainee doctors". Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  28. ↑ Whitbourn, Michaela (9 June 2017). "Sydney surgeon Munjed Al Muderis awarded $480k over online defamation by patient". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  29. ↑ Grieve, Charlotte (18 September 2022). "Oozing and maggots: The stories one of Australia's most celebrated surgeons doesn't want you to hear". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  30. ↑ "Professor Munjed Al Muderis takes legal action against Nine and Fairfax Publications". mediaweek.com.au. 28 September 2022.
  31. ↑ "Medianet Releases | news.com.au". medianet.news.com.au.
  32. ↑ "Beyond the boats". CPD. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  33. ↑ "A new approach to asylum seeker policy". The Wire. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  34. ↑ Australia, Amnesty International. "QLD Northern NSW, events, Amnesty International Australia - Working to Protect Human Rights". Amnesty.org.au. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  35. ↑ "Dr Munjed Al Muderis - new Red Cross Ambassador | Australian Red Cross". Redcross.org.au. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  36. ↑ "Go Back To Where You Came From | TV Documentary | SBS". Programs. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  37. ↑ "Know the people, know the facts - Refugee Council of Australia". Refugee Council of Australia. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  38. ↑ "Dr Munjed Al Muderis spoke on a panel at a live screening event held in Sydney to kick off SBS' new series of Go Back To Where You Came From". Redcross.org.au. 28 July 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  39. ↑ "Professor Munjed Al Muderis". Australian of the Year. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  40. ↑ "PRESS RELEASE: Munjed Al Muderis Returns to Iraq on Humanitarian Mission". Media Database. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  41. ↑ "Australian orthopedic surgeon Al Muderis became the ambassador of the UNBROKEN project - Unbroken". unbroken.org.ua. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  42. ↑ "Our patrons". asylumseekerscentre.org.au. Asylum Seekers Centre. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  43. ↑ Annual Report
  44. ↑ Clair Weaver. "From penniless prisoner to big surgeon" (PDF). Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  45. ↑ "Walking Free". Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  46. ↑ "Walking Free: insight into life as an asylum seeker from Dr Munjed Al Muderis". 24 September 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  47. ↑ Al Muderis, Munjed (2019). Going Back : How a former refugee and now an internationally acclaimed surgeon returned to Iraq to change the lives of injured soldiers and civilians. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1760633165. OCLC 1066130545.
  48. ↑ "Munjed al Muderis: From refugee to surgical inventor". Wild Dingo Press. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
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