Constructing better lives

As a 15-year-old at school, Dr Michael Wagels expressed a career in medicine, only to be told by his guidance counsellor that perhaps that wasn’t a good idea.

It was this rejection that inspired Michael to work harder from that day forward.

Today, he is changing lives as a leading Queensland plastic and reconstructive surgeon.

In his current clinical role as Deputy Director of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery within Metro South Health and Hospital Service (MSHHS), Michael works as a specialist at Princess Alexandra Hospital and Redlands Hospital, as well the Queensland Children’s Hospital.

Michael Wagels was also the first plastic surgeon with a PhD qualification in Queensland.

This experience also saw him mentor other PhD candidates, where five plastic surgeons now have the same qualification in the state; an important requirement for managing clinical research and trials.

An important milestone earlier in Michael’s career saw him connect with Dietmar Hutmacher, a Biomedical Engineer and Distinguished Professor at Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

“He told me that it's really important that the clinicians who are going to be involved in translating any innovative medical device be involved in the basic science research,” Dr Michael said.

This collaborative thinking encouraged Michael to build networks between academia, the clinical health sector and commercial manufacturers.

In doing so, he became instrumental in starting two organisations; he is now the Director of the Australian Centre for Complex Integrated Surgical Solutions (ACCISS) at Princess Alexandra Hospital and the Clinical Director of the Herston Biofabrication Institute(HBI) at Metro North Hospital and Health Service (MNHHS).

As Michael’s career progressed, so did advances in the plastic and reconstructive surgery sector.

“If you look at the history of plastic surgery, it's always been fertile ground for the next wave of innovation; whether it's microsurgery, auto-transplantation of tissue or understanding how grafts work,” he said.

As a leader in his field, Dr Wagels loves nothing more than the opportunity to be more involved in problem solving.

“Ultimately, what I'm interested in is the bio-fabrication (the production of complex biological products made from raw materials such as living cells or molecules) of implants that reduce the morbidity of reconstructive surgery for patients,” he said.

“This gives the patient an outcome that is much longer lasting than what we are currently using.”

Michael believes that while academics delve into research and testing, and public health clinicians work with patients who have health challenges to solve, it is the collaboration with commercial partners that helps to turn their knowledge into innovative medical devices and technology.

“We need commercial and academic partnerships to make that a reality,” he said.

“You have to respect the role that they play, which we as a healthcare organisation can't do ourselves and the academics, the universities can't do it either; we all have a role to play.”

The value of Michael’s work has recently seen him awarded an Industry Partnership grant.

“The point of trying to do things a different way is to improve people's dignity and the quality of their life in surviving problems,” Michael said.

“In doing so, there's also really important health economics aspect to this as well.”