These honours are the culmination of decades of service in surgical practice and leadership, academic surgical research and teaching, charity work, community education and volunteering. Each Fellow has made outstanding contributions in their respective fields, spanning specialties and subspecialties. We would like to particularly recognise immediate past vice president, Professor Ray Sacks who received an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).
Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)
Professor Ray Sacks AO
For his distinguished service to otolaryngology, clinical training, tertiary education and governance across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Over a career spanning clinical practice, surgical education and professional leadership, he has made a significant contribution to the advancement of surgical standards across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. His service to RACS includes many years on the Court of Examiners, serving as Chair from 2021 to 2025, as well as his role as Immediate Past Vice President.
A former President of the Australian Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Professor Sacks also holds academic appointments at Macquarie University and the University of Sydney and has been recognised with numerous honours for his contributions to surgical education and the profession.
His career reflects a sustained commitment to clinical excellence, education, leadership and service.
For distinguished service to colorectal surgery, research, innovative surgical training and tertiary education
Professor Margaret Schnitzler is a specialist colorectal surgeon, Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and member of the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand. She trained in surgery at Royal North Shore Hospital and obtained further specialist training in colorectal surgery at the Ferguson Clinic in Michigan, USA and the University of Toronto, Canada. She completed her PhD on molecular genetics of colorectal cancer at the University of Sydney.
Her main clinical interests are in familial colorectal cancer, anorectal conditions, faecal incontinence and pelvic floor disorders.
for significant service to gastrointestinal surgery, surgical outcomes research and the community
Prof Schnitzler has a teaching appointment at the University of Sydney and is Sub-Dean for Surgery and Academic Coordinator for Surgery at the Northern Clinical School, University of Sydney.
Associate Professor Miron Goldwasser AM
For significant service to orthopaedic surgery and clinical education
Associate Professor Miron Goldwasser was previously the Chair of the Victorian Orthopaedic Foundation (2013–2021) and has had a longstanding involvement since 1998, alongside life membership of the Australian Orthopaedic Association and extensive contributions to its education and examination programs. A Fellow of both the Australian Orthopaedic Association and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, he has held key academic roles with the University of Melbourne and senior surgical positions at St Vincent’s Hospital, The Northern Hospital, and Preston and Northcote Community Hospital, including Head of Orthopaedics. His dedication to education and professional standards is further reflected through examiner roles, tribunal service, and international training experience, with recognition including the 2021 Victorian Orthopaedic Foundation Service Award and the 2007 Australian Orthopaedic Association Award for Orthopaedic Education.
Dr Elizabeth Murphy AM
For significant service to colorectal and general surgery and clinical training
Dr Elizabeth Murphy MBBS, PhD, FRACS is a Colorectal Surgeon and Divisional Director of Surgery for the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network in South Australia. She completed General Surgical Training in South Australia and Colorectal Fellowships at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, Australia and Basingstoke in the UK. She has completed a PhD in Gut Neurophysiology, is an examiner in General Surgery for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and is the immediate Past President of the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand. Dr Murphy's research interests include optimising outcomes for patients with colorectal cancer and pelvic floor conditions.
Dr John Bevan North AM
For significant service to orthopaedic medicine, international surgery outreach and education
He has a distinguished history of providing surgical services to remote communities, including research on improving rural patient access through telehealth fracture clinics.
Associate Professor Peter Nottle AM
For significant service to laparoscopic and gastrointestinal surgery, clinical leadership and education
Prof Nottle is one of Australia's pioneers in laparoscopic surgery, having introduced the French techniques of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) to Australia's Alfred Hospital in the 90's. He also has expertise in performing surgical procedures for the management and treatment of upper GI cancer, acid reflux and bariatric procedures.
He currently practices in Werribee, Williamstown, Windsor and Sydenham as part of the Victorian Bariatric Surgery Centre. He was the Head of the Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery Unit at the Alfred Hospital from 2007 until 2019.
Prof Nottle has been an Associate Professor of Surgery at Monash University since 2007. He has several years of experience teaching surgery to both undergraduate and postgraduate students and is actively involved in clinical research projects.
Prof Nottle also holds the positions of Director of Victorian Bariatric Surgery Centre, Board Member of the Victorian Medical Insurance Agency Ltd.
For significant service to gastrointestinal surgery, surgical outcomes research and the community
Professor Michael Solomon is a Consultant Surgeon and Academic Head of Colorectal Surgery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, and holds professorial roles at the University of Sydney and the National University of Singapore. A past President of CSSANZ and current Board Member of the NSW State Cancer Institute, he has received numerous honours, including the RPA Foundation Research Medal and an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. With multiple higher doctorates and an MSc from the University of Toronto, he has published over 270 papers and secured more than $15 million in research funding. He is Founding Director of the Surgical Outcomes Research Centre and inaugural Chairman of the Institute of Academic Surgery at RPA, mentoring the next generation of surgeons and advancing evidence-based practice. His expertise spans minimally and maximally invasive colorectal surgery, complex pelvic malignancy, inflammatory bowel disease, and clinical trial design in surgical innovation.
For significant service to surgical oncology, patient centred cancer care and system reform
Bob Thomas graduated in medicine from the University of Melbourne and trained in surgery at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, as well as in England and Boston, later joining the Royal Melbourne Hospital as a surgeon and educator. He became the first Professor of Surgery at the Western Hospital and subsequently Professor and Director of Surgical Oncology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, later serving as Victoria’s Chief Clinical Advisor for Cancer and Chair of the Victorian Cancer Agency Advisory Council. A leader in national cancer reform, he has held key roles including President of the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia and Chair of the committee that developed the Colorectal Cancer Guidelines, and was instrumental in establishing Surgical Oncology within the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. With over 100 publications, editorial leadership of the ANZ Journal of Surgery, and recognition including the College’s Excellence in Surgery Award, he remains committed to advancing multidisciplinary cancer care, patient support, and translational research.
Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
Dr Dilipkumar Gahankari OAM
For service to plastic and reconstructive surgery
Dr Gahankari is an Australian-trained Specialist Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon based on the Gold Coast with over 31 years’ experience. He completed advanced training in hand surgery and subspecialty training in head and neck and burns surgery in Brisbane, and was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2003. In private practice, he provides a broad range of plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic procedures, with particular interests in breast reconstruction and hand surgery, and holds memberships with leading Australian and international surgical societies. For more than two decades, he has also led pro bono surgical missions in India through the Melghat Tribal Healthcare Initiative, delivering essential reconstructive care to underserved communities.
Associate Professor Alan Gale OAM
For service to plastic and reconstructive surgery
Associate Professor Alan William Gale is an Australian cardiothoracic surgeon, educator, and international surgical-development advocate with a distinguished career in cardiac surgery and medical training. A University of Sydney honours graduate, he holds multiple prestigious fellowships and served in senior academic and educational roles, including at the University of Queensland and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, as well as chairing the cardiac department at Sydney Adventist Hospital. He has made significant contributions to postgraduate education and surgical training, including founding advanced anatomy courses. Internationally, he has been instrumental in establishing cardiac surgery programs across Asia and the Pacific, leading teaching missions in countries such as Nepal, Fiji, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Myanmar. His global impact has been recognised with numerous honours, including awards from the governments of Nepal and Fiji, an honorary Doctor of Medicine from Mongolia, and the International Medal of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
New Zealand Order of Merit
Professor Richard George Douglas
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
For services to rhinology
Professor Richard Douglas is an internationally recognised rhinologist, a subspecialist Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon and a leading academic.
Professor Douglas was Head of Department of Surgery at the University of Auckland from 2015 to 2021. He established a thriving research programme in rhinology and skull-base surgery that has seen him supervise numerous doctoral candidates, both scientists and clinicians, and has contributed to New Zealand’s reputation globally in academic surgery. He currently leads an active research group and directs a clinical Fellowship programme in rhinology at Auckland City Hospital. His research, particularly on bacteria and mucosal immunity in chronic rhinosinusitis, has produced more than 200 academic publications. As a clinician, he delivers advanced sinus and skull-base surgery at Auckland City and Gillies Hospitals. He is a former President of the Australia and New Zealand Rhinologic Society and is active with the American Rhinologic Society and Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy. Professor Douglas founded the Tarāpunga Charitable Trust, through which he donated a mobile ENT van to provide outreach care across Northland, improving healthcare access for remote communities in Te Tai Tokerau.
Dr Mark Robert Fraundorfer
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
For services to health, particularly men's health
Dr Mark Fraundorfer has substantially contributed to urology and men’s health.
Dr Fraundorfer is Head of the Urology Department at Tauranga Hospital. He has advanced surgical practice in urology by pioneering minimally invasive techniques that have now become standard practice in New Zealand and worldwide. He has advocated for the reduction of stigma around men’s health issues, and promoted early detection of many men’s health conditions including prostate and testicular cancer and erectile dysfunction. He has led community education campaigns and engaged with the public to advocate for openness in men’s health. He has voluntarily run education seminars, held free men’s health clinics, and has contributed to public policy discussions that aim to reduce health inequities. He is a dive instructor, developed the first commercial dive training school in Tauranga, and was the Medical Advisor to the New Zealand Underwater Association (NZUA). He promoted dive safety as the Accident Investigator for the NZUA, investigating more than 120 fatalities. He instigated and led the development and funding of the Kathleen Kilgour Centre in Tauranga, an independent radiation oncology service which provides public cancer treatment to the wider Bay of Plenty. Dr Fraundorfer has been instrumental in expanding other medical services, including Grace Hospital in Tauranga and Wakefield Hospital in Wellington.
Dr Udayangani Kumudu Sriya (Udaya) Samarakkody
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
For services to Paediatric Surgery and the Sri Lankan community
Dr Udaya Samarakkody has contributed to Paediatric Surgery and the Sri Lankan community in New Zealand for more than 30 years as a consultant paediatric surgeon and paediatric urologist at Waikato Hospital.
Dr Samarakkody was President of the New Zealand Society of Paediatric Surgeons from 2010 to 2013 and is a member of the Scientific Committee of the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Paediatric Surgeons. Since 2005, she has been an instructor for the Australia and New Zealand Surgical Skills Education and Training course of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, and has served on the Education Executive Committee of the Waikato Clinical School. She has published extensively on paediatric surgery and on improving disparity of care. She has trained more than 50 surgeons nationally and internationally. She developed an extensive outreach service to New Zealand’s Midland health region, improving equity of surgical care for rural and Māori children. She co-founded the Sri Lankan Doctors and Dentists Association in New Zealand in 2021 and is Co-Chair. She has held several governance roles with the Sri Lanka Friendship Society Waikato since 1999, introducing and developing many community programmes and annual celebrations, including an annual cultural concert which has run for more than 25 years. Dr Samarakkody received University of Auckland teaching excellence awards in 2019 and 2020.
View the full list of appointments to the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours in Aotearoa New Zealand.