Dr Munjed Al Muderis

Dr Munjed Al Muderis 's Biography

NSW Australian of the Year in 2020, Dr Munjed Al Muderis is an Australian trained Orthopaedic Surgeon and a Squadron Leader in the Australian Air Force Reserve. Munjed fled Iraq as a young Doctor after refusing the orders of Saddam Hussein to mutilate army deserters’ ears. He endured a life threatening journey to Australia by boat and then spent 10 months in Curtin Detention Centre.

After his release, Munjed embarked on a mission to become an Orthopaedic Surgeon. He is a leading surgeon in the revolutionary technology known as Osseointegration and has helped hundreds of amputees world-wide to improve mobility, reduce pain and overall enhance their quality of life.

Aside from his academic and clinical roles, Munjed is heavily involved in humanitarian work. He is a Patron of the Asylum Seekers Centre, Sanctuary Australia Foundation and the New South Wales Amputee Association. He is a Patron of the Australian Red Cross, Amnesty International Australia and Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association. He is affiliated with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Munjed holds several academic titles including Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University Of Notre Dame Australia School Of Medicine Sydney, Honorary Associate of the School of AMME/Faculty of Engineering and IT at the University of Sydney, Clinical Lecturer at Macquarie University and the Australian School of Advanced Medicine.

He is a clinical lecturer at Macquarie University Hospital, a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and Chairman of the Osseointegration Group of Australia. In 2014, he published his memoir Walking Free with Allen and Unwin.