‘We are concerned’: Star surgeon’s unravelling résumé stretches to University of Sydney

Australia’s top-ranking university has denied any affiliation with disgraced surgeon Munjed Al Muderis after he claimed in sworn evidence to hold a current honorary associate position with the institution and promoted the relationship online.

The Federal Court of Australia last week found Al Muderis was dishonest, callous and prioritised fame, money and numbers above his vulnerable patients after a lengthy and failed defamation trial against this masthead and 60 Minutes.

A sworn affidavit, which Al Muderis filed in that case in May 2023, stated he was an honorary associate with the University of Sydney’s School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and IT.

He added that, on top of that arrangement, “from time to time, engineering students come to work as interns” with his company and “we teach them, and they work under our supervision, which counts towards their university course”.

This University of Sydney position is touted across his various professional profiles, including the Macquarie University Hospital and Limb Reconstruction Centre websites, which on Tuesday stated he “now” holds this position.

In her 770-page judgment released on Friday, Justice Wendy Abraham repeated that Al Muderis “is also an honorary associate ... at the University of Sydney”.

But when contacted this week, the University of Sydney said Al Muderis had no ties with the university.

“We have no current affiliation with Al Muderis. His honorary appointment ended four years ago, and there have been no placements with his company for over two and a half years, so it’s fair to say any association with us has expired,” a spokesperson for the University of Sydney said.

“We are concerned he’s apparently continuing to claim a role with us that does not exist, and welcome the opportunity to correct the record.”

The university’s contradiction of Al Muderis’ evidence comes after charities, including Amnesty International Australia and Red Cross Australia, also denied Al Muderis held a string of other ambassador or patron positions cited in his affidavit.

Al Muderis denied he deliberately misrepresented any charity affiliations and posted on social media that he intends to appeal the judgment.

The University of Sydney spokesperson said its records confirmed Al Muderis’ three-year position ended in July 2021, and his companies, Osseointegration Group of Australia and Osseointegration International, hosted a “small number of students” on work placements which had ended by February 2023.

Al Muderis’ professional profile for the Paley Institute, an international surgical organisation, stated as recently as this week that he holds a “professorial position” at the University of Sydney. The position also featured in a blog post that was deleted this week after the author was contacted by this masthead.

“He is now a professor at the University of Sydney leading the world in robotic surgery. An incredible story of resilience, and an incredible man,” the now-deleted blog post stated.

The prestigious university denied Al Muderis has ever held a professor position, which requires strong research and teaching experience at established universities.

This masthead previously revealed Al Muderis’ company produced a research paper with a note saying the author was affiliated with the University of Sydney.

But a freedom of information request lodged by this masthead earlier this year with the University of Sydney failed to find any documents to establish that claim.

This masthead also revealed on Thursday that Macquarie University Hospital would continue its long-standing arrangements with Al Muderis after the Federal Court found the orthopaedic surgeon prioritised fame, money and numbers of surgeries over the safety of his patients, including vulnerable elderly people, amputees and veterans.

Patient Advocates Australia founder Dorothy Kamaker said on Wednesday that Macquarie University Hospital and Norwest, another hospital at which Al Muderis stated he held a consultant position in his 2023 affidavit, would be “well advised to sever ties with this doctor whose medical standards and personal characteristics have been found to be so unacceptable causing shocking outcomes and trauma to their patients”.

“Let’s see if we get the leadership and governance from MUH and Norwest that is expected from a private hospital,” Kamaker posted on social media.

Norwest was contacted for comment.

The healthcare regulators, Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) and Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), are currently reviewing the judgment that found the investigation revealing Al Muderis’ unethical surgical practice was true and in the public interest.

ASX-listed Medibank, which jointly owns a short-stay hospital with Al Muderis, asked Macquarie University Hospital on Wednesday to conduct an investigation into Al Muderis’ practice, noting the Federal Court judgment was “very concerning”.

Macquarie University Hospital said Al Muderis maintains various positions at the hospital, and pledged it would comply with Medibank’s requests and any regulatory investigations.

In her judgment, Justice Abraham found Al Muderis misled patients about the risks and complications of invasive osseointegration surgery, provided negligent after-care, bullied staff, provided medical services without a licence from US hotel rooms, and denigrated colleagues.

“That other patients of Dr Al Muderis are happy patients also does not detract from the experiences of patient witnesses who might not be,” Abraham found.

“His practice has brought him fame and money, with the numbers of surgeries being used to promote his success,” Abraham said. “Those circumstances jeopardise the care he can adequately provide.”

Al Muderis’ affidavit also stated he was an adjunct clinical professor at the University of Notre Dame Australia School of Medicine.

The judgment stated Al Muderis asked Cambodian patients to participate in a Notre Dame University study, but found these patients showed a “lack of understanding of the risks associated with the surgery”.

A spokesperson from the University of Notre Dame Australia declined to answer questions about the finding that Al Muderis failed to obtain informed consent from the Cambodian patients, citing laws that prevent the disclosure of information about employees or appointees.

“Adjunct appointees at the university are expected to comply with our code of conduct and conduct themselves in a manner that complies with generally accepted professional standards of practice and behaviour,” a spokesperson said.

Charlotte Grieve’s book Duty To Warn will be available in February. Pre-order here.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.