AHSS Outreach
Introduction
The Australian Hand Surgery Society (AHSS) has been actively involved in providing Hand Surgery outreach to Asia and the Pacific Islands for more than 30 years. AHSS members have led and joined collaborative teams or undertaken individual missions, in many cases, being financially supported by the AHSS.
AHSS members have been involved in initiating several outreach programs, many at a time when practical resources, personal safety and local surgical practices were very limited. In many cases these programs have blossomed and continue to provide much needed surgical care, training and mentorship.
The programs established by AHSS members Profs. Bruce Conolly, Bill Cummings and Graham Gumley have lasted decades and weathered the storms of local resistance to change, financial challenges, armed conflict and disease.
Illustrative of the value of commitment over time has been the programs led by A/Prof. Graham Gumley, who commenced his lifetime of dedication to outreach in the Asian region in 1994. With his passion and leadership, he brought together many teams of surgeons, hand therapists and administrators to provide amazing support to these communities by providing direct care, surgical skills training, Hand Surgery teaching and mentoring to so many in less fortunate communities.
These programs have not only provided valuable treatment but, otherwise unavailable, but focused on advancing local skills through education, mentoring and ongoing relationships. Such ongoing professional relationships and friendships with local surgeons, trainees and therapists have been valuable in sustainably raising the standard of care in our neighbouring countries.
While the COVID-19 pandemic limited overseas travel, many programs adopted virtual teaching via Zoom, or similar platforms, to maintain these important relationships. Virtual platforms continue to provide ongoing training, enhanced patient evaluation, diagnosis and treatment planning. The AHSS has created a WhatsApp chat group for hand surgeons involved or interested in outreach to allow collaboration and cross pollination of ideas.
Outreach Programs Led by AHSS Members
Country
Year/s
AHSS team leader
Collaborating Organisation
Cambodia
1997-present
Graham Gumley
Orthopaedic Outreach
Dominican Republic
1998
James Masson
LEAP
Fiji
1999, 2016
James Masson
Interplast
Fiji
1983 +
Bill Cumming
Orthopaedic Outreach
India
1994, 1996
Graham Gumley
Indonesia
1970+
Bill Cumming
Orthopaedic Outreach
Indonesia
2008, 2009, 2014-2018
Graham Gumley
Indonesia
1970+
Bill Cumming
Orthopaedic Outreach
Laos
1998
Bruce Conolly
Laos
2017
Philip Slattery
Interplast
Myanmar (Burma)
2000
Bruce Conolly
Peter Scougall
Nepal
2001
James Masson
Interplast
Nepal
2018-present
David Graham
AusNEP, Orthopaedic Outreach
Papua New Guinea
1997, 2010 - 2013
James Masson
Interplast
Solomon Islands
2023 - present
David Graham
Hands On South Pacific, Orthopaedic Outreach
Uganda
2019
Graham Gumley
Vietnam
1996-2008
Bruce Conolly
Vietnam
1997-present
Peter Scougall
Vietnam
2006, 2009 - 2019
James Masson
AHSS Member Participation with Collaborative Outreach Programs
Country
Year/s
Team Leader
AHSS Participants
Fiji
2022 - present
Stuart Myers Orthopaedic Outreach
Matt White
Fiji
2014
Stuart Myers
Orthopaedic Outreach
Papua New Guinea
2019
Des Soares Pacific Islands Orthopaedic Association
Sarah Coll
Samoa
2024
Des Soares Pacific Islands Orthopaedic Association
Graham Gumley Sarah Coll Jennifer Green
Collaborative Organisations
AHSS is grateful for the support of all who have contributed to AHSS Outreach, including the many sponsors, charitable and collaborative organisations that have supported this important work. Returning AHSS team members have unfailingly reported the value in these trips, personally, professionally and for the contribution to local health networks. The AHSS is motivated to assist establishing and maintaining new outreach programs in addition to the current projects, forging new relationships with our Asia Pacific colleagues.
Many AHSS Outreach programs are also supported by other surgical membership organisations. The AHSS is committed to ongoing collaboration with other partnering organisations involved in hand surgery outreach. Such integration helps teams provide optimal patient care and local surgeon training. AHSS is working with IFSSH, ASSH and BSSH to develop a connected global hand surgery outreach community. Significant contributors to AHSS Outreach are listed below.
AUSNEP
Lisa (Loopy) Kiddle of the charity AUSNEP in Nepal, collaborates with the AHSS team led by Dr David Graham.
The extent of the appreciation of such work across the region is highlighted in the words of Prof Vuthy Chhoeurn from Cambodia, a RACS Rowan Nicks Fellow, in his 2014 IFSSH report.
Pacific Islands Orthopaedic Association
Established by Queenslander Dr Des Soares in 2012 with programs across the Pacific leading to a regional University supported degree. AHSS members actively involved in teaching, face to face and via Zoom, include Jennifer Green, Sarah Coll and Graham Gumley.
Hands On South Pacific
Swiss surgeons led by Dr Konrad Mende from Basel have formed the Hands On South Pacific teaching program for the Solomon Islands and the AHSS team now collaborates with Hands On both in virtual teaching and crossing integrating with outreach team programs.
Orthopaedic Outreach
Interplast
The Early Years
The foundations of AHSS Outreach were laid by a small group of visionary surgeons whose dedication to service, teaching, and international collaboration created a legacy that continues today.
Associate Professor Bruce W. Conolly was the one of the first AHSS members to formally lead Australian-based outreach efforts, initiating regular visits to Myanmar (Burma) from 2000 onwards. There, he worked closely with local surgeons to develop surgical training and support clinical care under challenging conditions. In 2002, he played a pivotal role in establishing Vietnam’s first Hand Surgery Centre, guiding its development with a focus on self-sufficiency, education, and systems-based care. His early work was instrumental in shaping AHSS’s approach to outreach—grounded in partnership, respect, and sustainable impact. A/Prof Conolly’s commitment to mentoring local surgeons and his leadership in Southeast Asia inspired a generation of Australian hand surgeons to follow in his footsteps.
Professor Bill Cumming devoted over three decades to advancing orthopaedic and hand surgery in Indonesia, beginning with visits in the 1970s. Operating in remote and often under-resourced environments, he worked alongside Indonesian colleagues to build clinical capability, improve surgical outcomes, and create pathways for local training. His deep cultural understanding, long-term commitment, and humility earned him great respect across the region. Prof Cumming’s early outreach programs provided the model for how consistent engagement can elevate local surgical standards and foster enduring professional relationships.
Dr Grace Warren AM contributed significantly to regional outreach through her work in leprosy care, tendon transfers, and reconstructive surgery across Asia. Over 37 years, she visited 26 countries including India, Cambodia, Thailand, and Taiwan, developing pioneering techniques in the management of neuropathic limbs. Her expertise has benefited countless patients and influenced many AHSS members in their approach to complex reconstructive problems. Dr Warren continued her humanitarian work well after retirement, and her contributions were formally recognised through numerous international honours, including appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia.
In 2007, Professors Bruce Conolly and Bill Cumming, alongside Professor Michael Tonkin and A/Prof Graham Gumley and Mr Damian Ireland, formally established the AHSS’s outreach subgroup, Helping Hands. The initiative focused on building local capacity through surgical teaching, mentorship, and low-resource adaptability—beginning with well-established programs in Vietnam, Burma, Laos, Indonesia, and Cambodia. Over time, Helping Hands evolved into AHSS Overseas Projects, and in 2024 was officially renamed AHSS Outreach, reflecting its maturity and ongoing impact across the Asia-Pacific.
Bruce Conolly
Bill Cummings
Grace Warren
Graham Gumley
Peter Scougall
James Masson
David Graham
AHSS Outreach Projects
David Graham In 2023 Dr David Graham led a team to the Solomon Islands. The team included AHSS members Dr Anna Watson...
Dr James Masson led trips to Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH), and Goroka 199 in 1997, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 in...
Bruce Connolly Associate professor Bruce W Conolly undertook regular visits to Myanmar from 2000 onwards. A/Prof Conolly worked diligently with the Myanmar...
Major AHSS Contributors To Outreach
Associate Professor Bruce Conolly AM
Associate Professor Bruce Conolly was a trailblazer in establishing Australian-led hand surgery outreach in the Asia-Pacific region. A founding member of AHSS, he began his international work with regular missions to Myanmar (Burma) in 2000, and played a pivotal role in creating Vietnam’s first Hand Surgery Centre in 2002. His approach combined clinical service, surgical education, and mentoring—laying the foundation for long-term partnerships that continue to benefit local surgeons and communities.
Beyond his early leadership, A/Prof Conolly inspired a generation of Australian hand surgeons to engage in global health through sustainable, respectful collaboration. His legacy endures through the many outreach programs he helped initiate and the values he instilled: humility, service, and a commitment to surgical excellence regardless of geography.
Dr. Grace Warren AM
Dr. Grace Warren AM devoted her career to helping those in need, particularly in the field of leprosy care. Over the course of her work, she travelled extensively across Asia, visiting 26 countries including India, South Korea, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Thailand, Cambodia, and Taiwan.
Dr. Warren made a profound impact on the lives of her patients, challenging established practices through her groundbreaking research and the development of innovative surgical techniques to treat neuropathic limbs. Although she officially retired in 1989, her commitment remained unwavering as she continued to provide critical care through regular overseas missions until 2012.
In recognition of her extraordinary contributions, Dr. Warren was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1986 for her international work with leprosy patients. She was also awarded the Star of Pakistan for her 37 years of humanitarian service in the country, where she tirelessly worked to advance leprosy treatment.
Associate Professor Graham Gumley
Associate Professor Graham Gumley AM has played a central role in the development of AHSS Outreach through his longstanding commitment to surgical education and service delivery in Cambodia and beyond. A/Prof Graham Gumley moved his young family to a war torn Phnom Penh, and in 1997, he established the Sihanouk Hospital Centre of HOPE (SHCH) in Phnom Penh, where he served as Hospital Director until 2003. During this time, he was instrumental in developing the hospital’s surgical department, designing a comprehensive training program, and embedding principles of equitable, high-quality care into the hospital’s culture. Under his leadership, SHCH became one of Cambodia’s leading centres for surgical training, delivering free care to underserved communities while mentoring local doctors and surgical trainees.
Since returning to Australia and joining the AHSS in 2004, A/Prof Gumley has continued to visit Cambodia nearly every year, leading multidisciplinary teams of hand surgeons and hand therapists to support ongoing education and service provision. His outreach work focuses not only on operative teaching and case-based learning, but also on cultivating strong relationships with Cambodian colleagues, many of whom are now national leaders in their own right. Beyond Cambodia, he has contributed to outreach efforts in Samoa, Indonesia and India, exemplifying the AHSS ethos of sustainable collaboration, humility, and long-term impact. In recognition of his he has received two Humanitarian Service Awards from the Australian Orthopaedic Association (2012 and 2015) and he was recognised for his significant service to medicine in the field of orthopaedic surgery, being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2024. In 2025 was honoured as an IFSSH Pioneer in Hand Surgery.
Dr Peter Scougall
Dr Peter Scougall first visited Vietnam with Bruce Conolly in the mid 1990s. Since then Peter and a team of Australian surgeons and therapists have continued their involvement with hand surgery training in the region. Bruce and Peter helped establish the first Vietnamese Hand Unit at Hue Central Hospital in 2002. The unit started with 10 beds, 3 surgeons and 389 hand surgery procedures that year, and has grown to an impressive service performing 1000s of hand surgery cases each year, including complex microsurgical reconstructions. The population of Vietnam is now over 90 million, including more than 1500 Orthopaedic Surgeons. Our annual visits continue to assist with the development of hand surgery as a subspecialty. Details of our involvement have changed to accommodate the developing Vietnamese medical landscape. Together with our Vietnamese hosts, we are assisting with hand surgery training across the land, promoting the importance of quality research and developing subspecialty hand surgery services. This now includes arthroscopic and sport medical centres. This year we have also invited a few Pacific Island surgeons to attend our course at Hue Central Hospital.
Dr James Masson
Dr James Masson has led teams on multiple trips including Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic in 1998, Labasa, Lautoka, Suva Fiji in 1999 and 2016, Anandaban Nepal in 2001, Ho Chi Minh City and Tam Ky, Quang Nam Vietnam 2006, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019, all in conjunction with Interplast, and focusing on hand surgery. Doug Wheen has accompanied Dr Masson to Vietnam.
Dr David Graham
Dr David Graham began his involvement in outreach with a trip to Kathmandu Nepal in 2009 alongside Dr David Liu and Dr Dilip Ghankari, followed by a visit to Lautoka, Fiji in 2012 with Dr Stuart Myers. He was also fortunate to participate in several outreach missions to Cambodia with A/Prof Graham Gumley, whose leadership and passion for sustainable global health had a lasting influence on his commitment to this work. Since then, Dr Graham has led numerous outreach teams, including regular trips to Kathmandu, Nepal, Honiara, Solomon Islands, and also Kiribati, focusing on surgical education, clinical service, and long-term collaboration. Dr Graham was appointed Chair of Outreach for the Australian Hand Surgery Society (AHSS) in 2024.
Collaborative Organisations
AHSS is grateful for the support of all who have contributed to AHSS Outreach, including the many sponsors, charitable and collaborative organisations that have supported this important work. Returning AHSS team members have unfailingly reported the value in these trips, personally, professionally and for the contribution to local health networks. The AHSS is motivated to assist establishing and maintaining new outreach programs in addition to the current projects, forging new relationships with our Asia Pacific colleagues.
Many AHSS Outreach programs are also supported by other surgical membership organisations. The AHSS is committed to ongoing collaboration with other partnering organisations involved in hand surgery outreach. Such integration helps teams provide optimal patient care and local surgeon training. AHSS is working with IFSSH, ASSH and BSSH to develop a connected global hand surgery outreach community. Significant contributors to AHSS Outreach are listed below.
Pacific Islands Orthopaedic Association
Established by Queenslander Dr Des Soares in 2012 with programs across the Pacific leading to a regional University supported degree. AHSS members actively involved in teaching, face to face and via Zoom, include Jennifer Green, Sarah Coll and Graham Gumley.
Hands On South Pacific
Swiss surgeons led by Dr Konrad Mende from Basel have formed the Hands On South Pacific teaching program for the Solomon Islands and the AHSS team now collaborates with Hands On both in virtual teaching and crossing integrating with outreach team programs.
AUSNEP
Lisa (Loopy) Kiddle of the charity AUSNEP in Nepal, collaborates with the AHSS team led by Dr David Graham.
Thank you To AHSS Outreach Sponsors
AHSS acknowledges the following organisations for their financial support and the generous donation of personnel, equipment and instruments.
AHSS is grateful for all support for the many AHSS Outreach programs. Please contact admin@ahss.org.au if you wish to donate or support in any way.
