Dr Meghan Dares is an Australian-trained orthopaedic with extensive surgical experience. She treats patients with all foot and ankle conditions (adults and paediatric) as well as general orthopaedic trauma (adult and paediatric). She regularly consults and operates at Shellharbour Private as well as having admitting rights to Shellharbour Public. Raised in Queensland, she completed her orthopaedic training in the Sydney Southside program, which included six months at Wollongong as the Senior Registrar.

Dr Dares has gained international subspecialty experience in both foot and ankle surgery and trauma. In 2016 she completed a fellowship at one of South Africa’s busiest trauma centres – Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town. During that time, she gained extensive experience in the application of circular frames, a skill she hopes to use for diabetic foot reconstructions.

She has also completed a foot and ankle fellowship at the prestigious Queen Alexandra Hospital, UK. Whilst there she developed a special interest in new techniques in foot and ankle surgery including arthroscopic ankle fusion, subtalar joint arthroscopy and joint sparing procedures for great toe arthritis.

Dr Dares is committed to the principals of functional rehabilitation – early weight-bearing (where possible) and weaning of immobilisation. She believes that multidisciplinary consultation is essential to return patients to their best functional outcome in the shortest reasonable amount of time.

Dr Dares is committed to research, having supervised two papers presented at the AOA 2017 National Scientific Meeting. She has also previously been published in peer review journals, edited a book on diabetic foot and presented at international meetings on foot and ankle conditions. She is also regularly involved in outreach in the South Pacific. She also has an interest in streamlining clinical practice, having presented at an international level on theatre and fracture clinic efficiency.

She believes that communication is one of the keys to good clinic outcomes and ensures that she is always contactable by both her colleagues and patients.