About
Dr Sydney Ch’ng is a head and neck, and specialist plastic surgeon based in Sydney, Australia.
One of the few surgeons fully trained in both head and neck and plastic surgery, Dr Ch’ng specialises in treating melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancers and head and neck cancers, as well as reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries.
Her primary interests include:
- facial skin cancers, especially those involving the ear, nose, eyelids and lips
- advanced skin cancers requiring multi-modality management and potentially complex reconstruction following resection, with a focus on obtaining the best cosmetic outcome and restoring function
- surgery for parotid tumours, including nerve integrity monitoring and mini-face lift incisions
- face lift, neck lift and blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery)
- facial paralysis
Training
Dr Ch’ng studied medicine at the University of Melbourne. During her surgical training, she participated in the Surgeon Scientist Program of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS). She performed two years of full-time research into the biology of skin cancers, publishing many scientific papers, and presenting her research at both national and international conferences. Her research culminated in the awarding of a PhD, and resulted in changes to global guidelines for the staging and management of skin cancers.
Dr Ch’ng won a number of research awards including the Young Investigator Award presented by the Australian and New Zealand Head and Neck Cancer Society (ANZHNCS), Best Proffered Paper at the ANZHNCS Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM), the Louis Barnett Prize for Best Free Paper at the RACS (NZ) ASM, and Best Scientific Poster at the RACS Annual Scientific Congress.
Following this, Dr Ch’ng completed training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, obtaining Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS).
She undertook further training post-FRACS in head and neck surgery at the Sydney Head and Neck Cancer Institute at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (now based at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse Cancer Centre). This allowed her to gain extensive experience in both resection and reconstructive surgery for all types of head and neck benign and malignant (cancer) pathology.
Dr Ch’ng then completed another fellowship specialising in Adult Craniomaxillofacial (Facial Trauma and Facial Cosmetic) Surgery at the renowned Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan, working with world leaders in this field.
Subsequently, Dr Ch’ng went to the premier cancer hospital in USA, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, as an international fellow on the highly competitive American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery (ASRM) Fellowship Program. There she learnt the latest techniques in cancer surgery including advanced microsurgery.
Approach To Care
She delivers evidence-based and patient-focused care, and always aims to optimise clinical, cosmetic and functional outcomes for her patients.
A large part of Dr Ch’ng's clinical practice focuses on oncology, specifically skin and head and neck oncology. She participates in weekly multidisciplinary meetings, during which clinicians from various specialties, including surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, dermatologists, radiologists, pathologists and allied health practitioners, consider, discuss and recommend management plans for complex cases. In addition to collaborating closely with her colleagues from other specialties, she also carries out shared care with her patients' general practitioners.
For her cosmetic patients, she follows AHPRA requirements, including a minimum of 2 consultations, observation of a cooling-off period before offering surgery, and screening for dysmorphic body disorder.
Get in touch
If you’d like to know more about our head and neck, plastic or skin cancer surgical services, or if you have a question for Dr Ch’ng, we’d love to hear from you.
