Faculty / program leadership: Stephen Tham and Victorian Hand Surgery Associates faculty
Profile completeness82%
Comprehensive · Missing funding, commencement date
✓ Primary programme source linked✓ Dated source review current✓ Current cycle evidenced✓ Faculty identity sourced✓ Institution mark verified
DECISION SUMMARY
What matters before you keep reading.
Eligibility
Requirements published
Funding
Not published
Deadline
At least 12 months before the proposed commencement date
Duration
12 months
Hands-on
Unclear — confirm privileges
Last checked
26 Aug 2026
Duration · published12 months
Clinical exposurePublic and private hand-surgery practice with up to 16 clinical and operative sessions weekly and approximately 4,000 annual cases, spanning emergency and elective hand/distal-arm surgery, wrist, rheumatoid, congenital, microsurgical and brachial-plexus reconstruction, rehabilitation and clinical research
Funding · not publishedStipend reviewed on application; the current amount is not published
DestinationAustralia
Participation levelClinical participation and hands-on restrictions must be confirmed directly with the host.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANT CHECK
What the official evidence currently supports
Decision-critical fields are separated into confirmed facts, partial information and points requiring direct confirmation.
—Not published
International applicant eligibility
The cited source does not explicitly confirm international-applicant eligibility.
✓Published by official source
Required training level
Completed residency or specialist training in plastic or orthopaedic surgery · Eligible for current medical registration in Australia · Provide personal medical-indemnity insurance and health insurance for the fellow and accompanying family
✓Published by official source
Programme classification
Clinical or combined training pathway; exact duties remain appointment-specific.
?Confirm directly with host
Hands-on restrictions
Hands-on participation and operative restrictions are not explicitly published.
≈Partially published
Medical registration
Applicants must hold or be eligible to hold current Australian medical registration and provide their own medical-practice indemnity insurance.
?Confirm directly with host
Licensing examinations
Any examination requirement must be confirmed with the relevant regulator and host.
—Not published
Language requirements
No formal language requirement is published by the cited source.
—Not published
Visa or work authorisation
Visa sponsorship and work-authorisation information are not published.
✓Published by official source
Funding availability
Stipend reviewed on application; the current amount is not published
DATA QUALITY & AVAILABILITY
79% of core application fields verified
Checked 26 Aug 2026. Next scheduled editorial review: 2027-02-22. Every unresolved field keeps its exact evidence state—unpublished, not yet researched, historical, conflicting, inaccessible or not applicable—so an absence is never converted into a fact.
✓ programme title✓ institution / department✓ city and country✓ programme classification✓ subspecialty✓ current status evidence✓ duration✓ positions✓ benefits✓ eligibility✓ registration✓ deadline✓ application process✓ required documents✓ application portal✓ official contact✓ faculty✓ verified faculty photograph✓ verified institution logo✓ official source✓ institutional source✓ accreditation / organisation source✓ verification date— commencement / intake · queued for source review— Funding information not published · queued for source review— accommodation / relocation · queued for source review— international eligibility · queued for source review— Language requirement not published · queued for source review— visa / work authorisation · queued for source review
APPLICATION TIMELINE & CONTACT
Plan the application
Application deadlineAt least 12 months before the proposed commencement date
Commencing dateIntake date not published
Application route / cycleDirect application by email; submit the complete file at least one year before the intended start
Deadlines and intake dates can change between cycles. The data-quality ledger above explicitly labels application fields that the cited official source does not publish.
ELIGIBILITY & REQUIREMENTS
Published entry requirements
Clinical / academic eligibility
Completed residency or specialist training in plastic or orthopaedic surgery
Eligible for current medical registration in Australia
Provide personal medical-indemnity insurance and health insurance for the fellow and accompanying family
Registration, licence & examinations
Applicants must hold or be eligible to hold current Australian medical registration and provide their own medical-practice indemnity insurance.
Visa / work authorisation
Visa sponsorship or work-authorisation requirements are not stated by the cited source.
Application documents
Detailed curriculum vitae
Letters of recommendation from three referees who have worked with the applicant
Licensing, visa and document rules depend on the individual programme and application cycle. OrthoFellow does not infer USMLE, AHPRA, ECFMG, recommendation-letter or visa requirements from the country alone.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
What this program offers
A 12-month, AOA- and PFET-accredited hand fellowship with high-volume public/private practice, multidisciplinary rehabilitation and a required clinical research paper.
BENEFITS & SUPPORT
Published benefits and support
Support to attend the Australian Hand Surgery Society Annual Scientific Meeting is published; insurance and family health cover remain the fellow's responsibility.
Benefits may depend on appointment type, training level, visa status and the active academic year. OrthoFellow keeps stipend and benefits separate so a salary figure is not mistaken for the full package.
HOST INSTITUTION
About Victorian Hand Surgery Associates / St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
VHSA brings together orthopaedic and plastic hand surgeons, hand therapists, on-site radiology and public/private hospital rotations at St Vincent's hospitals in Melbourne.
Orthopaedic hand surgeon and fellowship facultyOfficial profile & photo verified
Current position
Fellowship supervisor / program leadership
Affiliation
Victorian Hand Surgery Associates / St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne / Dandenong Hospital
Clinical focus
Hand and wrist surgery, microsurgery, trauma and reconstruction
Qualifications
MBBS, FRACS
Stephen Tham is listed in the cited programme evidence as orthopaedic hand surgeon and fellowship faculty for Victorian Hand Surgery Associates Hand Surgery Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Hand and wrist surgery, microsurgery, trauma and reconstruction. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
Stephen Tham is listed by the official programme source as orthopaedic hand surgeon and fellowship faculty. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Victorian Hand Surgery Associates / St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
Clinical focus
Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Will Alexander is listed in the cited programme evidence as teaching faculty / co-leadership for Victorian Hand Surgery Associates Hand Surgery Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
Will Alexander is listed by the official programme source as teaching faculty / co-leadership. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Victorian Hand Surgery Associates / St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
Clinical focus
Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Peter Maloney is listed in the cited programme evidence as teaching faculty / co-leadership for Victorian Hand Surgery Associates Hand Surgery Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
Peter Maloney is listed by the official programme source as teaching faculty / co-leadership. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Victorian Hand Surgery Associates / St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
Clinical focus
Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
David McCombe is listed in the cited programme evidence as teaching faculty / co-leadership for Victorian Hand Surgery Associates Hand Surgery Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
David McCombe is listed by the official programme source as teaching faculty / co-leadership. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Victorian Hand Surgery Associates / St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
Clinical focus
Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
James Thomas is listed in the cited programme evidence as teaching faculty / co-leadership for Victorian Hand Surgery Associates Hand Surgery Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
James Thomas is listed by the official programme source as teaching faculty / co-leadership. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Victorian Hand Surgery Associates / St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
Clinical focus
Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
George Miller is listed in the cited programme evidence as teaching faculty / co-leadership for Victorian Hand Surgery Associates Hand Surgery Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Hand & Microsurgery training and clinical practice. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
George Miller is listed by the official programme source as teaching faculty / co-leadership. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Names and fellowship roles come from the cited programme source. A green “individual profile verified” label means the position, qualifications and biography were also checked against an official personal or institutional profile. OrthoFellow displays a portrait only when it can be tied to an official profile or faculty source; otherwise the host institution brandmark is shown, with initials retained only when neither image is available. Faculty rosters may change.
PROGRAM HISTORY
Published fellowship history
VHSA states that its Hand Fellowship has trained qualified plastic and orthopaedic surgeons from around the world since 1996. AOA Upper Limb-filter identity VIC2302245 checked 2026-08-25; directory summary updated 2026-06-09. AOA Hand-filter identity VIC0004 checked 2026-08-26; directory summary updated 2026-06-09. AOA Hand-filter identity VIC2302245 checked 2026-08-26; directory summary updated 2026-06-09.
APPLICANT PROFILE
Qualified plastic or orthopaedic surgeons planning full-time or substantial part-time hand-surgery practice
