Dr Simon Chong

Simon Chong is a University of Auckland graduate who received his Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Plastic Reconstructive Surgery training in Auckland, Hamilton and Melbourne. He qualified FRACS in 2014, and then spent 18 months as a fellow at Macquarie University Hospital in Sydney, pursuing subspecialty interests in hand and microsurgery. He returned to New Zealand in July 2015 to take up public appointments at Waikato Hospital and Thames Hospital. He has been in part-time private practice since 2016, providing care to both Hamilton and the Coromandel region.
During this time, he served as Head of Department, RACS Supervisor of Training for the Waikato region, and Deputy Chair of the New Zealand Board of Plastic Reconstructive Surgery. While he completed his tenure at Te Whatu Ora Waikato in early 2023, Simon remains highly active in service to his specialty. He is an elected councillor for the New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons, and serves as an examiner for the RACS Clinical Examination. During his fellowship, he was an instructor for the University of Sydney Masters of Surgery microsurgery course, and continues to teach microsurgery for the New Zealand plastic surgery training programme. He has published first author papers in high impact specialty journals including Annals of Surgery, Journal of Hand Surgery and Plastic Surgery Clinics.
Simons background as a public hospital plastic surgeon allows him to confidently deal with a broad range of reconstructive plastic surgical and hand surgery issues. His particular area of interest is microsurgical reconstruction, and he is working to establish lymphoedema microsurgery in New Zealand in the near future. His consulting style is affable, with an emphasis upon spending time promoting patient understanding and engagement.
Simon is married with three young children. When not working or being Dad, he can be found tinkering in his garage workshop, taking coffee too seriously, or out enjoying freedom on his bicycle.

Hospitals Practicing At: Anglesea Hospital, Thames Medical Centre, Braemar Hospital

Current Positions
Specialist Plastic Reconstructive Surgeon in private practice

Areas of Specialisation
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery with particular interests in Skin cancer & Melanoma Surgery
All aspects of Acute & Elective Hand surgery
Breast reduction & reconstruction
Abdominoplasty
Lymphatic Surgery

Description of Specialisation
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Acute & elective hand surgery
Skin cancer & melanoma
Microsurgery
Abdominoplasty
Breast surgery

Qualifications/Memberships
MBChB (Auckland) 2004, FRACS (Plas) 2014, NZAPS; ASAPS

Specialist Training
FRACS (Plas) 2014
Hand surgery fellow 2014-2015
Aesthetic surgery fellow 2015: Macquarie University Hospital

Specialist Experience
Consultant Plastic Reconstructive Surgeon Waikato & Thames Hospitals 2015 - 2023