Associate Professor Nicola Dean

A/Prof Nicola Dean

Head of Unit, Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Flinders Medical Centre
A/Prof, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University

A/Prof Nicola Dean is  a Specialist Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon whose career spans clinical leadership, surgical outcomes research, and significant contributions to national health policy. Born in Edinburgh and trained in medicine at Leeds University (UK), she developed an early passion for both reconstructive surgery and research. She migrated to Australia in 1998, completing a PhD focused on post-mastectomy breast reconstruction, while raising her young family, and subsequently completed specialist training in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery in 2007.

Since then, A/Prof Dean has built and led the dedicated breast reconstruction service at Flinders Medical Centre, advancing patient-centred reconstructive care for women following breast cancer, as well as a range of specialist plastic surgery. Her work is characterised by a commitment to evidence-based practice, multidisciplinary collaboration, and improving access to reconstructive surgery for under-served groups.

A/Prof Dean’s research centres on health outcomes, breast reconstruction, mammary hypertrophy and reduction mammaplasty, patient-reported outcomes, and abdominal wall reconstruction. She is  recognised for her leadership in integrating scientific evidence into surgical practice.

A/Prof Dean’s research has directly contributed to national policy reform through the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) and Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). Notable contributions include:

• Breast Reduction Surgery Outcomes
  Her work with Dr Tamara Crittenden PhD provided key evidence supporting Medicare funding criteria for reduction mammaplasty, particularly relating to functional impairment and quality of life.
• Abdominoplasty for Post-Partum Rectus Diastasis
  Her high-quality outcomes research with Dr Siobhan Fitzpatrick was pivotal in reinstating the MBS item number for abdominoplasty for women whose pregnancies caused significant rectus diastasis, now recognised as a legitimate functional and health issue—not merely cosmetic.
• Chairing the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Clinical Committee for the MBS Review

These contributions have had lasting national impact, shaping funding decisions, improving surgical access, and influencing national health policy for Australian women.

Since 2020 she has had a significant focus on measuring outcomes in gender affirming surgery and developing the Research Group in Gender Affirming Surgery, where she is working alongside those with lived experience. As per her previous projects, she continues to carry out research which will help to inform policy and directly influence care and services for relevant community members.

A/Prof Dean is an experienced higher-degree research supervisor with a track record of mentoring surgical trainees and postgraduate students.