About Us

Stephen Flood is a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, holding a fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) awarded in 1980.  After he finished his training he completed a fellowship in Microsurgery at St Vincent’s Hospital and then further developed his microsurgical skills at Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam. Stephen has led the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Austin Health, one of Melbourne’s premier tertiary public hospitals, for 25 years.

Stephen has over three decades of experience in arm and hand reconstruction for people with tetraplegia and has been at the forefront of many of the the surgical advances this field has seen including, most recently, the introduction of nerve transfer surgery to restore arm and hand function after spinal cord injury. In addition, Stephen has a broad range of reconstructive surgery interests including head and neck reconstruction, perineal reconstruction, flap surgery for pressure sores and surgery for spasticity.

Stephen is a surgical advisor to the University of Melbourne and has published on the topics of head and neck reconstruction, sternal reconstruction and upper extremity reconstruction after spinal cord injury.

Natasha completed her medical degree at the University of Cape Town in 1993. She completed her advanced surgical training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Melbourne and was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2005. Natasha is also a member of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Australian Hand Surgery Society and the International Spinal Cord Society.

Natasha holds an appointment as a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at Austin Health in Melbourne. Natasha specialises in surgery to improve position and function in complex upper extremity problems and has fifteen years of experience in restoring arm and hand function in people with tetraplegia, stroke, traumatic brain injury and other neurological conditions resulting in spasticity such as cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. Natasha has been a key figure in the international uptake and application of nerve transfer surgery in tetraplegia and she has presented widely on this topic at scientific conventions both in Australia and internationally.

Natasha has a strong ongoing research interest in nerve transfer surgery and the results of a clinical research project, into the efficacy and utility of nerve transfers in tetraplegia, has recently been published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet. You can read more about Natasha’s qualifications, areas of expertise, professional memberships, and research here.

Michael is a Plastic and Reconstructive surgeon, holding a fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) since 2008. He is also a member of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the International Confederation for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (IPRAS) and the Victorian Hand Surgery Society (VHSS).

Michael holds appointments as a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at Austin Health and at The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. Michael has over ten years of experience in arm and hand reconstruction for people with tetraplegia and is committed to developing and refining new techniques in this field. In addition Michael has a broad reconstructive and microsurgical skill set including burn surgery, breast reconstruction after mastectomy, hand and neck reconstruction, spasticity surgery, skin cancer and melanoma.
‍
You can read more about Michael’s qualifications, areas of expertise, professional memberships, and research here.

Catherine Cooper has a B Ap Sc (OT) and 30 year career specialising in the field of rehabilitation, specifically after spinal cord injury resulting in tetraplegia.

Catherine brings considerable skill and experience to the Melbourne TetraHand Team and, through her long and expert service and passionate commitment to patient care, is highly regarded by health professionals and consumers alike in the spinal cord community.

Since 1993 she has held a clinical and research position as an Occupational Therapist at Austin Health. Catherine is the senior Occupational Therapist and Clinical Co-ordinator for Austin Health’s Upper Limb Program which is embedded in the Victorian Spinal Cord Service. This program aims to maximise upper limb function in people with tetraplegia using the techniques of tendon and nerve transfer surgery. Catherine and her team of therapists have led the development of rehabilitation protocols after nerve transfer surgery and dedicated many hours to educating medical professionals, carers, family members and patients on applying these to maximise outcomes after surgery. Catherine has presented widely on this topic both nationally and internationally.

Sarah completed a degree in Occupational Therapy at La Trobe University in 2005 and has specialised in the rehabilitation of the arm and hand. She has trained and worked in number of hospitals both nationally and internationally (The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Royal Children Hospitals in Brisbane and Melbourne and also at Bayside Children’s Hospital in New York).  

Sarah currently holds a public appointment at Austin Health working as an Occupational Therapist in the Department of Hand Therapy as well as in the Victorian Spinal Cord Service’s Upper Limb Program which focuses primarily on the rehabilitation of the arm and hand following tendon and nerve transfers in people with tetraplegia. In addition to her work in the public sector, Sarah also runs her own private hand therapy practice and is an accredited National Disability Insurance Scheme provider. Sarah is a skilled and energetic member of the team, committed to patient-focussed care.