Dr. Michael Chao
MBBS. FRANZCR
BACKGROUND
Dr Chao completed his MB.BS at Monash University in 1991 graduating with honours. He won the Jean C. Tolhurst Prize in Medicine. He then completed 6 years of postgraduate training at the Repatriation Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre as a resident and registrar specialising in Radiation Oncology. He received his Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (FRANZCR) in 1999. This was followed by two years as a research fellow at the DNA Research Laboratory at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. He was both an NHMRC Scholar and Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop Research Fellow.
He commenced as a consultant radiation oncologist in 2000 joining Radiation Oncology Victoria. He consults at Epworth Freemasons, Epworth Richmond and Ringwood Private Hospital, and holds appointments as a consultant radiation oncologist at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Maroondah Hospital. He is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medicine of the University of Melbourne.
He has pursued a parallel career in academic radiation oncology and private medicine, being a pioneer in Australia in the development of IMRT and IGRT in breast, prostate and lower gastrointestinal cancers. He is now introducing ARC therapy with the new generation Varian Linear Accelerators with Cone Beam Technology (CBCT) at Epworth Freemasons. He also has a special interest in Prostate Brachytherapy where he performs Iodine 125 LDR permanent implants and Iridium 192 HDR temporary implants with the state of the art Flexitron Afterloader at Epworth Freemasons.
He is a member of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Australasian Society of Breast Diseases, Australian Gastrointestinal Trials Group, American Brachytherapy Society, Australasian Brachytherapy Group and the Victorian Co-operative Oncology Group as a representative in the Colorectal Cancer Committee. He also represented oncology on the Medical Advisory Committee at Freemason’s Hospital from 2001-2005.
He has presented and published widely on a range of subjects in radiation oncology. He is involved in clinical trials and currently has a number of ongoing studies in prostate and breast cancer. He regularly attends international conferences, and keeps abreast of all latest developments in radiation oncology, particularly in his areas of interest.