About Mr Andrew MacLeod

Hello!

I am a Specialist General Surgeon providing high quality surgical care to north east Victoria.  I moved to Wangaratta from Melbourne in 2016 after previously training here as a registrar in 2010. My professional rooms are based in Wangaratta, and I also provide clinical appointments and operate in Yarrawonga and Benalla.

After working for several years in breast cancer research, I attended medical school at the University of Melbourne and progressed to surgical training at the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH). This background at RMH gave me the opportunity to also rotate to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, locally to Wangaratta, and further afield to Launceston General Hospital in a wide variety of sub-specialties. A further year of fellowship training at the Northern Hospital (Melbourne) saw me gain experience in emergency general surgery, breast and endocrine surgery, colorectal surgery and endoscopy.

This diverse training with respected surgical mentors has made me comfortable in managing a wide variety of surgical conditions and also in performing safe, modern, effective surgery - whether it’s an elective breast cancer operation or life-saving emergency trauma surgery. I feel very fortunate to have maintained these links with tertiary centres that help to streamline patient care when facilities at larger hospital are sometimes required.

One area of my surgical practice which I genuinely pride myself on is good communication with my patients. This is probably the single most important aspect of surgical care, but an area which should often be improved upon. I’m the first to recognise that for most patients, either a new diagnosis or potential for upcoming surgery is a daunting experience.  With an empathetic approach to patient care, appropriate information, open communication & the opportunity to ask questions I work hard to alleviate patient stress & concerns.

Regardless of whether it’s a minor or major procedure coming up, I like to take time to make sure patients understand the underlying condition, the various treatment options and the rationale proposed for any surgery. No question or concern is off-limits. At the end of the day, I want my patients to feel part of the decision making partnership, so that they are comfortable with our plan going forward.

When I’m not working as a surgeon I enjoy spending time with my wife and young children, exploring our new home in Northeast Victoria. As anyone with young children can relate to, this undertaking can sometimes be more stressful and time-consuming than a career in surgery, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. So most of my spare time is spent either teaching my young kids to swim or ride a bike, watching Disney’s Frozen movie (again) or trying to think of ways to get my children to bed earlier.