Shoulder, Elbow & Hand Specialist

Dr Gajan Selvakumaran is an Australian-trained Orthopaedic Surgeon with a special interest in upper limb conditions as well as general orthopaedic trauma. He graduated medical school from the University of Newcastle in 2012 and attained Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (Orthopaedics) and Australian Orthopaedic Association in 2022.

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He holds public appointments at the John Hunter Hospital and Belmont District Hospital, and also operates at Lingard Private, Warners Bay Private and Lake Macquarie Private hospitals.

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Public Patients and Referrals:

Public patient elective appointments are accommodated at Belmont District Hospital:

• Please contact Belmont District Hospital Outpatient Department for further information about public referrals and appointments.

Specialising from Shoulder to Fingertip:

After completing his training in Newcastle, Dr Selva undertook six months of sub-specialty hand and microsurgery at Fairfield Hand Unit, gaining experience in a multitude of hand and wrist injuries as well as elective conditions, with frequent practice of microsurgical techniques working alongside Orthopaedic and Plastic Surgeons.

He then undertook 12 months of international sub-specialty training at the prestigious Royal London Hospital, UK, gaining further experience in managing shoulder, elbow and wrist conditions.

Dr Selva routinely performs elective operations such as:

• Shoulder replacements, both anatomic and reverse-geometry

• Arthroscopic shoulder surgery for cuff tears or instability

• Open shoulder surgery for dislocations (Latarjet procedure)

• Elbow procedures for arthritis and instability

• Dupuytren's contracture release

• Joint reconstructions and replacements for the small joints of the hand and fingers

• Nerve decompressions at the elbow, arm and wrist such as those for cubital or carpal tunnel syndrome

Trauma Orthopaedics:

Dr Selva was first drawn to orthopaedics after being exposed to acute orthopaedic trauma care as a medical student. During training he worked at various Major Trauma Centres such as John Hunter Hospital (Newcastle) and Prince of Wales (Sydney).  He belongs to the inaugural graduating cohort of the Masters of Traumatology  Degree run by the University of Newcastle in 2015.

This was advanced further as a Fellow working at both Liverpool Hospital (Sydney) and, notably, the Royal London Hospital (UK), which is regarded as one of the busiest trauma centres in England.

Dr Selva routinely performs trauma operations such as:

• Complex proximal humerus fractures requiring reconstruction or replacement

• Distal humerus fractures requiring reconstruction or replacement

• Elbow fracture dislocations requiring fixation and ligament repair

• Distal radius, scaphoid, finger and thumb fractures

• Finger injuries involving the bone, tendons and nails, especially industrial accidents.

• Managing paediatric fractures with and without surgery

• General orthopaedic trauma such as fractured hips, legs and ankles.

Passing On and Progressing the Craft:

Dr Selva is involved in training the next generation of orthopaedic surgeons through the Newcastle Training Scheme for the Australian Orthopaedic Association. He also holds workshops to aid aspiring junior doctors gain selection into orthopaedic training.

As a member of the Newcastle Orthopaedic Research Institute, he contributes to national and international research studies and has published papers and book chapters related to his sub-specialties.

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Commitment to Country Medicine:

Dr Gajan Selva was born in Hay, located in rural New South Wales. He then completed schooling in the regional town of Bathurst before moving to Newcastle for medical school. He elected to undertake his 4th year medical school placements at the Tamworth Rural Referral Hospital to remain connected to rural communities.

Since graduating medicine, he has worked in Taree, Tamworth and Port Macquarie as part of further surgical training. He has provided Consultant Orthopaedic Services in both Tamworth and Kalgoorlie.

Having rich ties to regional Australia, Dr Gajan Selva understands the complexities of delivering healthcare to even the most remote populations and patients.

He continues to facilitate patients from throughout the Hunter New England and Northern NSW region to ensure geography does not limit access to excellent healthcare.