Dr. Shanta Velaiutham is a consultant general surgeon with a special interest in oncoplastic and reconstructive breast cancer surgery. In addition to her role here at The Breast Centre, Shanta is also the designated lead surgeon for BreastScreen NSW and a VMO surgeon at Calvary Mater Hospital and Lake Macquarie Private Hospital. She has over 23 years of surgical experience working in Malaysia, Australia and Scotland in providing compassionate care and treating with empathy.
After obtaining her MBBS (Hons) at the University of Malaya, she completed her Master of Surgery, graduating top of her class in both undergraduate and postgraduate surgical training in Malaysia. Shanta then obtained the Fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in 2012, and a Graduate Diploma in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery (UEA, UK ) in 2018. She is also a member of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
Her passion is global aid work, having volunteered at Halilulik Hospital in West Timor and in Papua New Guinea with the Australian Doctors International. She has recently become a member of the Faculty of Remote, Rural and Humanitarian Healthcare.
In addition to breast cancer surgery, she also provides general surgical services including the treatment of gallbladder disease and hernia surgery.
Shanta’s professional affiliations include Member of Breast Surgery International (BSI/ISS), a Member of Breast Surgeons of Australia and New Zealand (BreastSurgANZ), and a Member of Australia and New Zealand Breast Cancer Trials Group (ANZBCTG), the largest, independent, oncology clinical trials research group in Australia and New Zealand conducting clinical trials for the treatment, prevention and cure of breast cancer. She participates in the BreastSurgANZ Quality Audit, which aims to improve the quality of surgical care for patients with early and locally advanced breast cancer in Australia and New Zealand, and also contributes data to the Australian Breast Device Registry for all implant reconstruction cases.