Associate Professor Warwick Teague is an accomplished paediatric surgeon and researcher. As Director of RCH Trauma Services, Warwick oversees the emergency treatment and care of Victoria’s most severely injured children. As a paediatric surgeon, he focusses on general, neonatal and burns surgery.
Warwick also has a special interest in caring for children born with duodenal atresia, a condition where the stomach and bowel aren’t connected. With his ground-breaking research, Warwick is the only paediatric surgeon in Australia working to discover the cause of this life-threatening condition.
In five words, tell us why you’re passionate about your work?
I love making children better.
How does philanthropy support your work?
I am humbled to pay tribute to the generous and visionary people who make my amazing job at the RCH possible. This generous giving provides me with a salary, ensures me protected research time, one of the rarest and most precious features of any job plan in surgery, and is now helping to resource the scientific research I am passionately progressing.
What’s your ‘secret’ talent?
I typically and happily start a request with, “Please may I have…”. Not only is this the right and proper thing to do, but it is amazing what others are willing to help you with when you start and finish with good old ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.
If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?
Back to my birth place in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, three days into a week of walking, exploring ice cold rivers and life-packed mountains with the ‘pipel bilong Niugini’, who are some of the most beautiful people on Earth.
Who is the most influential person in your life?
The most influential person in my life is my beautiful wife, Kirsty. This is not some sentimental schmaltz… Without Kirsty, I wouldn’t be even half as balanced in life, I wouldn’t be able to smile and weather life’s ups and downs, and certainly wouldn’t have the support and love I need to do my job well. Thank you, Kirsty.