Dr David CH Tan

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Dr David Tan is a highly skilled, Australian-trained neurosurgeon and spine surgeon based in Adelaide. He specialises in the comprehensive management of brain and spinal disorders, with subspecialty interests in minimally invasive spine surgery, brain tumours and skull base tumours.

Dr Tan graduated with honours in Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Monash University. He received the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) after completing his neurosurgery training at leading neurosurgical centres across Australia. During his training, Dr Tan was awarded the Rob Johnston Award for his research project that was presented at the Spine Society of Australia scientific meeting.

Driven by his commitment to deliver world-class care, Dr Tan pursued advanced fellowship training to refine his subspecialty expertise. He completed a Complex Spinal Surgery Fellowship through a joint neurosurgery and orthopaedic program at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Subsequently, he was honoured with the Morgan Travel Scholarship to undertake the prestigious Skull Base Neurosurgery Fellowship at Vancouver General Hospital and the University of British Columbia in Canada to hone his skills in endoscopic endonasal and microscopic skull base surgery to improve patient outcomes. During this fellowship, Dr Tan also presented his research findings at the North American Skull Base Society (NASBS) scientific meeting.

Dr Tan is dedicated to providing the highest standard of evidence-based care to the South Australian community, with individualised treatment plans tailored to each patient’s unique condition. He takes the time to ensure patients are fully informed about their diagnosis and treatment options throughout their healthcare journey, always delivering care with compassion, precision, technical expertise, and the utmost attention to detail.

Alongside his clinical practice, he is passionate about teaching, contributing to the education of junior doctors, medical students, allied health professionals, nursing staff and the future generation of neurosurgeons. Dr Tan has authored numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and is a member of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), Neurosurgical Society of Australasia (NSA), Australian Medical Association (AMA) and American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).

Awards

• Morgan Travel Fellowship - Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
• Dinning Memorial Neurosurgical Fellowship - Neurosurgical Research Foundation
• Rob Johnston Award - Spine Society of Australia
• Best Dissection Award - Aesculap White Matter Dissection Course
• Certificate of Excellence - University of Melbourne Graduate Diploma in Surgical Anatomy
• Dean's Commendation - Monash University

Public staff specialist appointments

• Spine Surgery Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital
• Department of Neurosurgery, Royal Adelaide Hospital
• Department of Neurosurgery, Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital