Simon Chong

A University of Auckland graduate, Dr Chong qualified as a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in 2014. After a fellowship at Macquarie University Hospital in Sydney, he returned to New Zealand to take up public appointments at Waikato and Thames Hospitals. During his public hospital tenure, he served as Head of Department, RACS Supervisor of Training for the Waikato Region, and Deputy Chair of the NZ Board of Plastic Reconstructive Surgery. In 2023, he was honoured by the RACS Academy of Surgical Educators as Aotearoa NZ Supervisor of the Year.

Mr Chong committed to full-time private practice in 2023 to found the National Lymphatic Surgery Service. Even outside of the public system, Simon remains highly active in service to his specialty. He is the Vice President of the New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons.

He serves as an examiner for the RACS Clinical Examination, and continues to teach microsurgery for the NZ Plastic Reconstructive Surgery specialist training programme. He has published research papers as first author in high impact speciality journals, including Annals of Surgery, Journal of Hand Surgery and Plastic Surgery Clinics.

Dr Chong believes in an affable consulting style, with an emphasis on spending plenty of time with patients promoting understanding and engagement. While he has a special interest in lymphoedema and microsurgery, his background as a public hospital surgeon allows him to confidently deal with a broad range of reconstructive plastic surgical and hand surgery issues.