Rate My Professor Steve Smith

Dr. Steve Smith is a Conjoint Professor in the School of Medicine and Public Health within the Faculty of Health and Medicine at the University of Newcastle. He practices as a colorectal surgeon at Calvary Mater Newcastle and serves as an Honorary Medical Officer in Surgery at John Hunter Hospital. Since 2006, he has held the position of Network Director of Surgical Training for the Hunter New England region. His academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of New South Wales, a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS), a Fellowship in Colorectal Surgery from the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSSANZ), a Master of Surgery from the University of Sydney, and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Newcastle. Smith's research centers on enhancing peri-operative management for surgical patients, with a particular emphasis on surgical oncology. He leads randomised clinical trials designed to improve patient recovery following colorectal surgery for cancer and maintains a strong interest in surgical education.

Smith has received notable recognition for his contributions, including the 2019 Hunter Medical Research Institute Award for Early Career Researcher and the 2013 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons/American College of Surgeons Travelling Fellowship. His extensive publication record, exceeding 232 journal articles, features key works such as 'Biomarkers and anastomotic leakage in colorectal surgery: C-reactive protein trajectory is the gold standard' (ANZ Journal of Surgery, 2018), 'Sham Feeding With Chewing Gum After Elective Colorectal Resectional Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial' (Annals of Surgery, 2013), 'Transversus abdominis plane blockade in laparoscopic colorectal surgery: a double-blind randomized clinical trial' (International Journal of Colorectal Disease, 2015), 'Randomized clinical trial of short-term outcomes following purse-string versus conventional closure of ileostomy wounds' (British Journal of Surgery, 2010), and recent studies like 'Preoperative Antibiotics and Mechanical Bowel Preparation Impact the Colonic Mucosa–Associated Microbiota but Not Anastomotic Leak Rate After Colorectal Resection' (Diseases of the Colon and Rectum, 2025) and 'The Microleaks study: 16S community profile and metagenomic shotgun sequencing signatures associated with anastomotic leak' (npj Gut and Liver, 2024). These publications underscore his impact on advancing evidence-based practices in colorectal surgery, including microbiome analysis, surgical site infection prevention, and enhanced recovery protocols.