Ben Dixon appointed new Professor of OHNS at The University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne, in partnership with St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and the Passe & Williams Foundation, has announced the appointment of Ben Dixon as the inaugural Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Professor of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery within the Department of Surgery at the Melbourne Medical School.

Ben is a distinguished Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) and serves as the Director of the Department of ENT, Head and Neck Surgery at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. This new Professorship role will focus on head and neck cancer and skull base surgery, areas of Ben’s expertise that were founded in his doctoral research on the impact and implementation of novel surgical navigation technologies in skull base surgery.

Under Ben’s leadership, this new academic program will enhance collaboration between the clinical services at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and various research and clinical groups at the University of Melbourne and its affiliated institutes.

“St Vincent’s is proud to be partnering with the University of Melbourne and the Passe & Williams Foundation to invest in the leadership of academic surgery,” says Nicole Tweddle, Chief Executive of St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. “This important appointment will build on St Vincent’s strong reputation as a leader in ENT and Head and Neck surgery in Australia,” adding that Ben is an outstanding choice as the inaugural Professor.

Professor Sarath Ranganathan, Head of the Melbourne Medical School in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne, also welcomed the appointment of Ben to the new role, affirming that his leadership will continue to uphold the University’s commitment to academic excellence.

The new program will aim to develop both undergraduate and postgraduate research initiatives, and will serve as a catalyst for growth in surgical academia and treatment, further solidifying Australia’s position on the global ENT and Head and Neck Surgery map.

The Foundation is proud and honoured to have had the opportunity to support the establishment of this Professorship, and we are delighted with the appointment of Professor Dixon in the inaugural role. We have no doubts that his contributions will have great impact, both across this region and further afield.

Congratulations, Ben. We look forward to sharing news of your work!