Fiona Wood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fiona Wood
AO FAHMS
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Wood speaking at the Microsoft Australia Imagine Cup 2012 announcement in Sydney
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| Born |
Fiona Melanie Wood
2 February 1958 Yorkshire, England
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| Citizenship | Australian |
| Occupation | Plastic surgeon |
| Known for | Spray-on skin |
| Spouse(s) | Tony Kierath |
Fiona Melanie Wood, born on February 2, 1958, is a famous Australian plastic surgeon. She is a specialist in treating severe burns. Dr. Wood works in Perth, Western Australia. She leads the burns unit at Royal Perth Hospital. She also heads the Western Australia Burns Service. Dr. Wood is well-known for helping to create "spray-on skin." This amazing treatment helps burn patients heal faster. She is also a professor at the University of Western Australia. She directs the Fiona Wood Foundation, which supports research.
Contents
Meet Dr. Fiona Wood, Burns Specialist
Early Life and Dreams
Fiona Wood grew up in Yorkshire, England. She was born in 1958. Her father was a miner, and her mother was a physical education teacher. Fiona's parents wanted their children to get a good education. They encouraged them to study hard. Fiona went to Ackworth School. As a child, she loved sports and dreamed of becoming an Olympic sprinter. In 1978, she was one of only twelve women accepted into medical school in London. She earned her medical degree in 1981 from St Thomas's Hospital Medical School.
A Career Helping Others
Dr. Wood first worked at hospitals in London, including Great Ormond Street Hospital. She then married Tony Kierath, a surgeon from Western Australia. They moved to Perth in 1987 with their first two children. Fiona continued her training in plastic surgery. She also had four more children! In 1991, she became the first female plastic surgeon in Western Australia.
In 1993, Dr. Wood started working with scientist Marie Stoner. They focused on a big challenge: making burn treatments better. Together, they found ways to grow new skin much faster. Their work also greatly reduced scarring for burn patients.
Dr. Wood became widely known in October 2002. Many survivors from the 2002 Bali bombings were brought to Royal Perth Hospital. She led a team that saved 28 patients. These patients had severe burns and other serious injuries.
For her important work, Dr. Wood received special awards. She was named a Member of the Order of Australia in 2003. In 2005, she was named Australian of the Year. This was a great honor given by the Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
In March 2007, Dr. Wood traveled to Yogyakarta, Indonesia. She helped burn patients after a plane crash.
In 2022, a book about her life was released. It is called Under her Skin by Sue Williams. Money from the book helps the Fiona Wood Foundation.
Amazing "Spray-on Skin" Treatment
Dr. Wood is famous for inventing "spray-on skin." This treatment helps burn patients heal quickly. Before, growing enough new skin cells took 21 days. Dr. Wood and her team found a way to do it in just five days! They learned that using thinner skin samples helped. This made it faster for special liquids to work.
Closing a wound quickly is very important. It stops infections, which can cause bad scarring. Dr. Wood's main goal is "scarless, woundless healing." This means helping skin heal without any scars.
Dr. Wood started a company called Avita Medical. This company helps make the spray-on skin treatment available to more people. The idea began in 1992. A schoolteacher came to Royal Perth Hospital with severe burns. Dr. Wood worked with Marie Stoner in a lab at night. They explored how to grow new tissues. They moved from growing sheets of skin to spraying skin cells. This made them pioneers in their field.
Avita Medical started operating in 1993. Today, it can grow small skin samples into many skin cells in about five days. Surgeons in places like Sydney, Auckland, and Birmingham use this service. The cells can even be flown to other cities and be ready the next day. Money from this work goes back into research.
New medical treatments need careful testing. Spray-on skin was a new idea. It needed to go through clinical trials. A trial was planned in England in 2005 at Queen Victoria Hospital.
In 2009, Avita Medical received US$1.45 million from the United States. This helped speed up the development of their ReCell kit.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Dr. Fiona Wood has received many awards for her incredible work:
- From 2005 to 2010, she was voted the most-trusted Australian in a Reader's Digest poll.
- She is recognized as an Australian Living Treasure. This title honors people who have made a great impact on Australia.
- In 2004, she won the Western Australia Citizen of the Year award. This was for her contributions to medicine and burns research.
- In 2015, she became a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.
- In 2024, she was promoted to Officer of the Order of Australia. This was for her outstanding service to plastic surgery, medical research, and for being a mentor.
