Author


Mr. Cole is currently Thoracic Surgeon to the Peninsular Hospital at Frankston and Monash Medical Centre, Clayton.  He has recently been chairman of the Lung group of COSA for 5 years and also served on the committee of the Australian Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons representing Thoracic Surgery.

He is on the Lung cancer Consultative Committee of the Australian Lung Foundation, and was one of 2 surgical representatives on the committee for writing the Clinical Guidelines for lung cancer for the National health and Medical Research Council.

Because of his vast experience in lung cancer, he has presented work at the last several World Lung Cancer Conferences, and has been an invited speaker to many medical meetings speaking on a wide variety of thoracic surgical topics ranging from Lung Volume Reduction surgery to minimally invasive, thoracoscopic surgery.

After gaining Membership of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 1979, he continued training in Cardiothoracic Surgery, concentrating on Thoracic surgery, at the Austin, St Vincent's and Royal Melbourne Hospitals.  Following this he spent a year in Sheffield, UK, and a year at Duke University, North Carolina studying the NdYAG Laser and oxygen toxicity in primates.  

After returning to Australia he worked as the Thoracic Surgeon to the Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane, the largest chest hospital in Australia, for seven years.  Being active with both the Thoracic Society of Australia and COSA, he regularly represented the hospital at local, national and international meetings 

He worked as Thoracic Surgeon in a private practice in the US for two years and then returned to Brisbane as Thoracic Surgeon for the Princes Alexandra Hospital, Mater Hospital and Greenslopes Private Hospital (ex Repat Hospital), then transferred to Monash Medical Centre and Frankston Hospital as Thoracic Surgeon.  As well, he is a Senior Lecturer in the Medical Faculty, Monash University. 

His mains interests now are in the field of Lung cancer, and is involved in establishing Clinical Guidelines for management of Lung Cancer for Australia as well as Lung Volume Reduction surgery, surgery for congenital conditions, bronchiectasis, TB and minimally invasive surgery using telescopes.

Surgery Performed:

  • Bronchoscopy
  • Mediastinoscopy
  • Thoracoscopy - minimal invasive surgery VATS
  • Flexible oesophagoscopy/gastroscopy
  • Insertion of airway and oesophageal stents
  • Lung resections for cancer
  • TB surgery
  • Bronchiectasis surgery
  • Lung volume reduction surgery
  • Congenital cyst resections
  • Surgery fo trauma
  • Spontaneous pneumothorax
  • Pleural effusion drainage
  • Insertion of chest drains
  • Pleurodesis - talc or pleurectomy
  • Oesophagectomy
  • Hiatal hernia repair
  • Lung biopsies
  • Pericardial biopsy/drainage
  • Rib tumour resections
  • Diaphragm surgery
  • Bronchogenic and developmental duplication cysts
  • Resection of metastases
  • Drainage of empyema/decortication
  • Thoracoscopic sympathectom