Professor Bennetts is trained in both Adult and Paediatric Cardiac Surgery. While providing a full range of cardiac surgical services, special interest areas are:
- Complex mitral valve repair, including rheumatic valvular disease
- Off-pump coronary artery grafting
- Adult congenital surgery
- Cardiac surgery in Indigenous Australians
- Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)
- Complex aortic and arch surgery
He is currently Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Flinders Medical Centre and a Director of Adelaide Cardiothoracic. Dr Bennetts returned to Flinders in 2006 as a Cardiothoracic Surgeon after extensive training interstate and overseas, having completed Medical School and starting his surgical training at Flinders. He has also been employed by Women’s and Children’s Hospital providing Paediatric Cardiac Surgery services since 2006.
As Professor in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery at Flinders University, Dr Bennetts has an extensive involvement in the research program of the Cardiothoracic Department. He has made significant contributions to the outcomes of Cardiac Surgery in Indigenous Australians, and continues to promote and strive for improvement of outcomes in Cardiac Surgery more broadly. He has over 60 peer reviewed research papers, has been an invited speaker regionally and across South East Asia and Europe, and is actively involved in multiple large international trials.
Currently he is President, Australia and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery (ANZSCTS), and over the last 10 years has led significant reform on behalf the Society across introduction of Transcatheter Heart Valve therapies and most recently a review of the Medical Benefits Scheme. He sits as a member of multiple Advisory Boards and Government committees across Australia and Internationally.
Since returning to Adelaide in 2006, Dr Bennetts has participated in over 15 international aid missions to Fiji and Tanzania providing Cardiothoracic surgical services to populations unable to access heart surgery, or to help improve quality of heart surgery in these communities.
Surgical services are undertaken at:
- Flinders Medical Centre
- Women’s and Children’s Hospital
- Flinders Private Hospital
- Ashford Hospital
- Calvary Adelaide Hospital
- Royal Darwin Hospital
Professional Qualifications:
- Professor – Department of Surgery, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University
- BMBS – Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, Flinders University
- FRACS – Fellow, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
- FANZSCTS – Fellow, Australia and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons
- FCSANZ – Fellow, Cardiac Society Australia and New Zealand
Professional Associations:
- President – Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery(ANZSCTS)
- Member – Board of Studies, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS)
- Member – Local Advisory Board – South Australia, National Heart Foundation
- Member – Medical Benefits Schedule Review: Cardiac Services Steering Committee, Cardiac Working Group, Cardiac Surgery Working Group (Dept of Health and Ageing, Govt of Australia)
- Member – Prostheses List Advisory Committee – Cardiothoracic and Cardiac Clinical Advisory Groups (Dept of Health and Ageing, Govt of Australia)
- Chair – Government Relations Committee, Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery (ANZSCTS)
- Member – National Cardiac Registry – Board
- Member – National Cardiac Registry – Steering Committee
- Member – Transcatheter Heart Valve Credentialing Committee (Dept of Health and Ageing, Govt of Australia)
- Member – National TAVI Registry Steering Committee
- Member – Clinical Advisory Board – Edwards Lifesciences
- Member – Clinical Advisory Board – Medtronic Asia-Pacific
- Member – Transcatheter Heart Valve Advisory Board – Medtronic Global
- Member – Clinical Advisory Board – Abbott Medical
- Chair – Medical Advisory Committee, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, SA Health
- Advisor – Cardiology Network Steering Committee, Commission for Excellence and Innovation in Health, SA Health
- Member – Surgery Network Steering Committee, Commission for Excellence and Innovation in Health, SA Health
- Member – Medical & Dental Credentialing Committee, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network
- Member – Medical Credentialing Committee, Adelaide Community Healthcare Alliance (ACHA)