John Fletcher

John Fletcher is an Emeritus Professor of Surgery in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney, affiliated with the Westmead Clinical School and Department of Surgery at Westmead Hospital. He earned his MBBS from the University of Western Australia, along with MD, MS, and DDU postgraduate degrees, and holds fellowships of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS). Beginning his academic career at the University of Sydney in 1978 as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Surgery at Westmead Hospital, he progressed to Associate Professor in 1988, full Professor in 1997, and upon retirement in 2015, was appointed Emeritus Professor. In leadership roles, he served as Head of the University of Sydney Department of Surgery, Chairman of the Division of Surgery, Director of Surgery, Director of Vascular Surgery, Director of the Westmead Vascular Biology Research Centre, and Director of the Westmead Vascular Laboratory. He was recognized among professors emeriti by the University of Sydney for sustained outstanding service in 2014.

Professor Fletcher's research specializations center on vascular surgery, including endovascular management of aortic aneurysms, non-invasive investigation of vascular disease, and prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism. His basic research addresses cellular mechanisms in atherosclerotic plaque formation, inhibition of intimal hyperplasia following vascular interventions, and prevention of prosthetic vascular graft infection. He has held prominent positions such as President of the Surgical Research Society of Australasia (1997-1998), first Australian and New Zealand Vice-President of the International Union of Angiology (1998-2000), member of the Executive Committee of the Surgical Research Society of Australasia (1991-1996), member of the Court of Examiners in Vascular Surgery of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, and Chairman of the Australian and New Zealand Working Party on Prevention and Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism. He received the Award of Excellence in Public Education and Research in Venous Thromboembolism from the Australasian College of Phlebology. Key publications include "Compliance with Australian Orthopaedic Association guidelines does not reduce the risk of venous thromboembolism after total hip and knee arthroplasty" (2024), "Incidence and predictors of post-thrombotic syndrome in patients with proximal DVT in a real-world setting: findings from the GARFIELD-VTE registry" (2023), "Nature versus Number: Monocytes in Cardiovascular Disease" (2021), "Durability of the balloon-expandable covered versus bare-metal stents in the Covered versus Balloon Expandable Stent Trial (COBEST) for the treatment of aortoiliac occlusive disease" (2016), "Monocyte inflammatory profile is specific for individuals and associated with subclinical atherosclerosis" (2017), and "Inferior vena cava filters: indications, safety, effectiveness" (1992).

Professional Email: john.fletcher@sydney.edu.au