Dr Rtshiladze is an Australian trained plastic and reconstructive surgeon who practises in several convenient locations across Sydney. Having grown up in Sydney’s southern suburbs, he pursued a career in medicine through the University of New South Wales. In 2005 he graduated from the Faculty of Medicine with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) as well as a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) with honours. He worked at multiple tertiary referral hospitals in metropolitan Sydney gaining further medical and surgical experience. During this time he completed a Master of Surgery (MS) at the University of Sydney for which he was awarded the John Loewenthal Medal for his research in skin transplantation.
In 2011 Dr Rtshiladze commenced accredited Surgical Education and Training in plastic surgery with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Following 5 years of specialist training he was made a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) and attained specialist recognition with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
During his training, Dr Rtshiladze developed several interest areas within plastic and reconstructive surgery. After attaining his FRACS he sought to undertake further education in the areas of skin cancer oncology and craniofacial surgery. His first fellowship was at the Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) where he was the recipient of the MIA Poche fellowship in Melanoma and Surgical Oncology. He then sought further sub-specialty expertise through fellowships in paediatric plastic and craniofacial surgery with the Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick and then at the University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children in Canada.
On returning to Australia he was invited to join the Melanoma Institute Australia as a member of their team as well as the Sydney Children’s Hospital Craniofacial Unit. His dedication to furthering the treatment of melanoma and complex skin cancers in collaboration with other specialist clinicians in the field has resulted in his appointment as a member of Faculty of the Melanoma Institute Australia and as the Chair of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at the Mater Hospital Sydney. He also has an active role in the Sydney Children’s Hospital Craniofacial Multidisciplinary Team. He collaborates and coordinates with multiple clinicians to ensure craniofacial patients have access to the latest technologies available for the treatment of these highly specialised conditions.
Dr Rtshiladze is actively involved in the education and training of the next generation of surgeons. He has been the NSW teaching coordinator for the Australian Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, a clinical examiner for the University of New South Wales Medical School and the local coordinator for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship Examination. He regularly provides education and training sessions for trainees, peers and colleagues in his areas of specialty.
- 2016 – Fellow of The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery)
- 2011 – Master of Surgery (Transplant Surgery), The University of Sydney
- 2005 – Bachelor of Science (Medicine), The University of New South Wales
- 2005 – Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery with Honours, The University of New South Wales
- 2017 - 18: University of Toronto, Fellowship in Paediatric Craniomaxillofacial
- 2016 - 17: Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick, Paediatric Craniofacial Surgery
- 2016: Melanoma Institute Australia, Poche Fellowship in Melanoma and Surgical Oncology
- Faculty Member of the Melanoma Institute Australia
- Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
- Member of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons
- Member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Craniomaxillofacial Surgeons
Consultant Plastic Surgeon at the following public hospitals
- Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick
- The St George Hospital, Kogarah
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (Melanoma Department), Camperdown
- The Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick
- The Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick
Consultant Craniofacial Surgeon at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick
Consultant Plastic Surgeon appointed to the following private hospitals
- Mater Hospital, North Sydney
- St George Private Hospital, Kogarah
- Chair of the Plastic Surgery Department, Mater Hospital, North Sydney since 2021
- Faculty at Melanoma Institute Australia since 2021
- Associate of the Melanoma Institute Australia (2018 – 2021)
- Member of the South Eastern Sydney Melanoma Health Pathway development team (Subject Matter Expert) (2021)
- NSW Teaching coordinator for the Australian Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (2018-19)
- Local coordinator for The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship Examination (2016)
- Clinical Examiner for the University of New South Wales Medical School, Prince of Wales Campus, Phase 2 Medical Students (2016)
- 2015: Australian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons Essay Prize
- 2010: The University of Sydney John Loewenthal Medal
Dr Rtshiladze has a passion for academia and research. He regularly conducts, oversees and contributes to various research projects both in Australia and overseas. He is driven to seek out new and improved treatment options for his patients through the investigative process. He has published scientific works in many reputable journals and is often asked to contribute to other formal published works.
Published Scientific Papers
BRAF mutation testing for patients diagnosed with stage III or stage IV melanoma: practical guidance for the Australian setting
Scolyer RA, Atkinson V, Gyorki DE, Lambie D, O'Toole S, Saw RPM, Amanuel B, Angel CM, Button-Sloan AE, Carlino MS, Ch'ng S, Colebatch AJ, Daneshvar D, Pires da Silva I, Dawson T, Ferguson PM, Foster-Smith E, Fox SB, Gill AJ, Gupta R, Henderson MA, Hong AM, Howle JR, Jackett LA, James C, Lee CS, Lochhead A, Loh D, McArthur GA, McLean CA, Menzies AM, Nieweg OE, O'Brien BH, Pennington TE, Potter AJ, Prakash S, Rawson RV, Read RL, Rtshiladze MA, Shannon KF, Smithers BM, Spillane AJ, Stretch JR, Thompson JF, Tucker P, Varey AHR, Vilain RE, Wood BA, Long GV.
Pathology. 2022 Feb;54(1):6-9. Doi: 10.1016/j.pathol.2021.11.002.
Assessment of paediatric head shape and management of craniosynostosis
Lun KK, Aggarwala S, Gardner D, Hunt J, Jacobson E, Reddy R, Gianoutsos M, Rtshiladze M.
Aust J Gen Pract. 2022 Jan-Feb;51(1-2):51-58. doi: 10.31128/AJGP-09-20-5638.
Case report of a challenging medium-sized congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN): Highlighting a role for reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) for evaluating changing CMN in children
Haefliger S, Guitera P, Gouveia BM, Colebatch AJ, Scolyer RA, Rtshiladze M, Martin LK.
Pediatr Dermatol. 2021 Nov 4. Doi: 10.1111/pde.14846.
Re-defining the role of surgery in the management of patients with oligometastatic stage IV melanoma in the era of effective systemic therapies.
Ch’ng S, Uyulmaz S, Carlino MS, Pennington TE, Shannon KF, Rtshiladze M, Stretch JR, Nieweg OE, Varey AHR, Hsiao E, Kapoor R, Pires de Silva I, Lo SN, Spillane AJ, Scolyer RA, Long GV, Hong Am, Saw RPM, Thompson JF, Menzies AM.
Eur J Cancer. 2021 Aug;153:8-15. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2021.04.037. Epub 2021 Jun 12.PMID: 34126335
Twenty-Year Experience of use of Onlay Hydroxyapatite Cement for Secondary Cranioplasty.
Brussius Coelho M, Rtshiladze M, Aggarwala S, Hunt J, Peltz T, Gardner D, Gianoutsos M.
J Craniofac Surg. 2021 Jan-Feb 01;32(1):300-304. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000007092. PMID: 32969929.
Efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors for in-transit melanoma.
Nan Tie E, Lai-Kwon J, Rtshiladze MA, Na L, Bozzi J, Read T, Atkinson V, Au-Yeung G, Long GV, McArthur GA, Sandhu S, Saw R, Walpole E, Menzies A, Smithers M, Gyorki DE.
J Immunother Cancer. 2020 May;8(1):e000440. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2019-000440.
The removal of cranial springs used in the treatment of scaphocephaly: A minimal access approach.
Rtshiladze MA, Roy AA, Goltsman D, Hunt J, Reddy R, Gianoutsos MP.
J Craniomaxillofac Surg. 2019 Nov;47(11):1706-1711. doi: 10.1016/j.jcms.2019.04.001. Epub 2019 Apr 16.
Diagnosing Melanoma: the method matters.
Rtshiladze MA, Stretch JR, Scolyer RA, Guitera P.
Med J Aust. 2019 Sep;211(5):209-210. doi: 10.5694/mja2.50307. Epub 2019 Aug 14.
Orthognathic Surgery for Patients with Cleft Lip and Palate.
Roy AA, Rtshiladze MA, Stevens K, Phillips J.
Clin Plast Surg. 2019 Apr;46(2):157-171. doi: 10.1016/j.cps.2018.11.002. Epub 2019 Feb 6.
Pigmented lesions of the nail bed – Clinical assessment and biopsy.
Rtshiladze MA, Stretch JR, Stewart DA, Saw RP.
Aust Fam Physician. 2016 Nov;45(11):810-813.
“Chapter 13 Surgical Reconstruction” Melanoma Principles and Practice.
Varey A, Rtshiladze M, Stodell M, Stretch J.
Version 1.3 Melanoma Institute Australia. 2016 Oct; iTunes store id1157772280
Gene therapy for tolerance: high-level expression of donor major histocompatibility complex in the liver overcomes naïve and memory alloresponses to skin grafts.
Cunningham EC, Tay SS, Wang C, Rtshiladze M, Wang ZZ, McGuffog C, Cubitt J, McCaughan GW, Alexander IE, Bertolino P, Sharland AF, Bowen DG, Bishop GA.
Transplantation. 2013 Jan 15;95(1):70-7. doi: 10.1097/TP.0b013e318278d39a.
The 2009 Sydney shark attacks: case series and literature review.
Rtshiladze MA, Andersen SP, Nguyen DQ, Grabs A, Ho K.
ANZ J Surg. 2011 May;81(5):345-51. doi: 10.1111/j.1445-2197.2010.05640.x. Epub 2011 Jan 20.
Microsurgical training using a pulsatile membrane pump and chicken thigh: a new, realistic, practical, nonliving educational model.
Phoon AF, Gumley GJ, Rtshiladze MA.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 2010 Nov;126(5):278e-279e. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181ef82e2.
Spectacle holding local flap modification of free ALT flap.
Nguyen DQ, Rtshiladze M, Moisidis E.
J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2010 Mar;63(3):e293. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2009.07.037. Epub 2009 Aug 26.
Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw: tip of the iceberg.
Knight RJ, Reddy C, Rtshiladze MA, LVoff G, Sherring D, Marucci D.
Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. 2010 Jan; 21(1):25-32.
Looking at bariatric surgery with a different ‘frame’ of mind.
Knight RJ, Rtshiladze MA, Reddy C, Knox A.
European Journal of Plastic Surgery. 2009 Apr; 32(2): 115-117.
