Rate My Professor Richard Ferch

Conjoint Associate Professor Richard Ferch is affiliated with the School of Medicine and Public Health in the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He holds the qualifications BSc, MBBS, and FRACS, having been appointed as a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2003. His neurosurgical training commenced as a Registrar at John Hunter Hospital, followed by advanced fellowships and appointments at Christchurch Hospital in New Zealand, St Vincent’s Hospital and Sydney Children’s Hospital in Sydney, Verona Hospital in Italy, Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, and the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, United Kingdom. During his training, he received the Peter Leech Award for his research contributions.

In his clinical career, Associate Professor Ferch serves as an experienced adult and paediatric neurosurgeon practising in Newcastle, performing cranial, spinal, and peripheral nerve surgery. He is the Director of Research for the Neurosurgery Department at John Hunter Hospital since 2004 and holds Visiting Medical Officer positions in Neurosurgery and Spine at John Hunter Hospital, Lingard Private Hospital, and Newcastle Private Hospital. Additionally, he directs the Spinal Fellowship programme at John Hunter Hospital. He advanced from Conjoint Senior Lecturer to his current conjoint associate professor role at the University of Newcastle. Ferch is a member of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia, Spine Society of Australia, Cervical Spine Research Society, and European Cervical Spine Society. He has authored over 25 papers in peer-reviewed journals and is a widely published researcher and sought-after presenter. Notable publications include "The Efficacy of Transforaminal Injection of Steroids for the Treatment of Radicular Pain in Patients with Cervical Disc Herniation" (Pain Medicine, 2010, with Ghahreman and Bogduk), "Cervical Spine Immobilization Following Blunt Trauma: A Systematic Review of Recent Literature and Proposed Treatment Algorithm" (ANZ Journal of Surgery, 2015, with Lukins, Balogh, and Hansen), "Vertebrectomy in Metastatic Spinal Tumours: A 10-Year Single-Centre Experience" (World Neurosurgery, 2019, with Roser et al.), and "Comparable Long-Term Pain and Disability Outcomes Following Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion and Artificial Disc Replacement" (European Spine Journal, 2025, with Cameron et al.).