Zoltan Szomor

Ph: 02 9598 6777

Education and Research

Educating orthopaedic surgeons for the future…

It was following completion of my advanced orthopaedic training with the Australian Orthopaedic Association Training Program that I was delighted to be elected as a Fellow of The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. I completed a PhD Degree at the University of New South Wales, performing cutting-edge musculoskeletal research and enriched my knowledge and experience in an 18-month fellowship at Kyoto University, Japan, where I focused on arthroplasty and cartilage research. This was then followed by a fellowship in Sydney in 1997 and 1998, the place where I ended up calling home.

Surgical Education & Fellowships

  • Fellow of Australian Orthopaedic Association AOA 2004
  • Fellow of Australasian College of Surgeons RACS 2004
  • PhD, Doctor of Philosophy UNSW 2003
  • Specialist Orthopaedic Surgeon Board of Examiners Hungarian Orthopaedic Association 1990
  • MD, “Summa cum laude” Medical University of Pecs, Hungary 1985

Teaching the Next Generation of Surgeons

I have always had a passion for educating medical students and postgraduate junior doctors of the future, as a Conjoint Senior Lecturer at UNSW and as the Term Supervisor of Junior Medical Officers at St George Hospital for the past 20 years.  I regularly supervise visiting international students and doctors-in-training for elective terms in orthopaedic surgery. Being a part of the next generation of specialists’ development and growth as young professionals is highly rewarding.

Publications

I have an ongoing commitment and strong interest in research, this has resulted in over 50 scientific papers being published in international journals. This provided me numerous quotations in further research papers and a high, over 100 impact factor rated by the quality and significance of research. I have presented close to 100 scientific papers at national and international conferences.

  • Szomor Z, Martin T, Bonar F, Murrell GAC.  The Protective Effects of Meniscal Transplantation on Cartilage. An Experimental Study in Sheep.  Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (Am) 2000;82-A:80-8.
  • Szomor Z, Farmer K, Wang MX, Kruller A, Bonar F, Kirkham B, Murrell GAC.  Differential expression of cytokines and nitric oxide synthase isoforms in human rotator cuff bursae.  Annals of the Rheumatic Dieseases 2001;60:431-2.
  • Szomor Z, Shimizu K, Yamamoto S, Yasuda T, Ishikawa H, Nakamura T. Externalization of Calpain (Calcium Dependent Neutral Cysteine Proteinase) in Human Arthritic Cartilage. Societe Internationale de Recherche Orthopedique et de Traumatologie. Stein H, Suk SI, Leung PC, Thorngren KG, Akeson W. (Ed.)  Freund Publishing House Ltd. 1999:165-70.
  • Szomor Z, Yamamoto S, Yasuda T, Ishikawa H, Shimizu K, Nakamura T.   Externalization of Calpain (Calcium Dependent Neutral Cysteine Proteinase) in Human Arthritic Cartilage. Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology  1999;17:415-20.
  • Szomor Z, Shimizu K, Fujimori Y, Yamamoto S, Yamamuro T.  Appearance of Calpain Correlates with Arthritis and Cartilage Destruction in Collagen Induced Arthritic Knee Joints of Mice.  Ann Rheum Dis  1995;54:477-83.
  • Isaacs JD, Shidiak L, Harris IA, Szomor ZL: Femoral insufficiency fractures associated with prolonged bisphosphonate therapy. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2010:468:3384-92.
  • Szomor ZL, Murrell GAC, Appleyard RC, Tyler MJ: Meniscal repair with a new biological glue: An Ex Vivo Study. Techniques in Knee Surgery 2009:7:261-5.
  • Oakley SP, Portek I, Szomor Z, Appleyard RC, Gosh P, Kirkham BW, Murrell GAC, Lassere MN: Arthroscopic estimation of the extent of chondropathy. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 2007;15:506-15.
  • Szomor Z,Appleyard R, Murrell GAC: Overexpression of nitric oxide synthase isoforms in tendon overuse. Journal of Orthopaedic Research 2006;1:80-86.
  • Xia W, Szomor Z, Wang Y, Murrell GAC: Nitric oxide enhances collagen synthesis in cultured human tendon cells. Journal of Orthopaedic Research  2006:24:159-72.
  • Oakley SP, Portek I, Szomor Z, Appleyard RC, Gosh P, Kirkham BW, Murrell GAC, Lassere MN. Arthroscopy – a potential “gold standard” for the diagnosis of the chondropathy of early osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 2005;13:368-378.
  • Szomor Z. Nitric oxide in rotator cuff tendon.  Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Granted: UNSW   May, 2003.
  • Hayes K, Walton J, Szomor Z, Murrell GA, Ginn K: Methodological concerns do not undermine the principal conclusions. Australian Journal of Physotherapy 2004:50:184.
  • Oakley SP, Lassere MN, Portek I, Szomor Z, Gosh P, Kirkham BW, Murrell GAC, Wulf S, Appleyard R.  Biomechanical, histologic and macroscopic assessment of articular cartilage in a sheep model of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 2004;12:667-679.
  • Hayes K, Ginn KA, Walton JR, Szomor ZL, Murrell GAC. A randomised clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of physiotherapy after rotator cuff repair. Australian Journal of Physiotherapy 2004;50:77-83.
  • Oakley SP, Portek I, Szomor Z, Turnbull A, Murrell GAC, Kirkham BW, Lassere MN. Accuracy and reliability of arthroscopic estimates of cartilage lesion size in a plastic knee stimulation model.  Arthroscopy  2003;19:282-289.
  • Cummins CA, Strickland S, Appleyard RC, Szomor ZL, Marshall J, Murrell GAC.  Rotator cuff repair with bioabsorbable screws: An in vivo and ex vivo investigation  Arthroscopy  2003;19:239-248.
  • Oakley SP, Portek I, Szomor Z, Turnbull A, Murrell GAC, Kirkham BW, Lassere MN.  Poor accuracy and inter-observer reliability of knee arthroscopy measurements are improved by the use of variable angle elongated probes.  Ann Rheum Dis 2002;61:540-543. 
  • Koh J, Szomor Z, Murrell GAC, Warren RF. Supplementation of rotator cuff repair with a bioabsorbable scaffold. American Journal of Sports Medicine  2002;30:410-413