Dr Darrin McKay,
FANZCA-credentialled anaesthetist
PhD · BMBS · BAppSc(Hons) · FANZCA
AHPRA · MED0001068295
One of the anaesthetists who covers Dr Hirpara's upper limb operating lists at the Mater Private Hospital Rockhampton. FANZCA-credentialled with special interests in regional anaesthesia — the brachial plexus and peripheral nerve blocks that underpin most upper limb operating — and paediatric anaesthesia.
Darrin's roots are in Queensland — Bachelor of Applied Science with Honours in Human and Animal Biology at the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba (1992), followed by a PhD in human neurophysiology at the same university (completed 2001) on the supplementary motor area and bimanual coordination.
Before returning to medicine, he spent five years as a full-time researcher — an Australian Research Council–funded postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Adelaide working on cortical plasticity, methods of inducing persistent change in motor cortex organisation, and applications to the rehabilitation of brain-damaged patients. That period produced five peer-reviewed papers in J Clin Neurosci, Eur J Pain, Neuroreport, Experimental Brain Research and Clinical Neurophysiology.
He then read medicine at Flinders University of South Australia (BMBS, 2005), winning the Clinical Prize for Paediatrics in his final year. Junior medical officer years followed at Flinders Medical Centre, the Repatriation General Hospital and Noarlunga General Hospital — rotations through general, colorectal, plastic and orthopaedic surgery, emergency medicine, paediatric medicine, cardiology and general medicine.
Darrin entered anaesthetic training in 2010 through the South Australia and Northern Territory rotational scheme — Flinders, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Modbury, the Women's and Children's Hospital Adelaide, Royal Darwin Hospital (intensive care plus general, obstetric and paediatric anaesthesia) and the chronic and acute pain services at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Primary Exam FANZCA followed in September 2011.
He moved to Rockhampton in 2014 as a senior advanced trainee and has been here since. After fellowship (FANZCA May 2016) he held a specialist appointment in the Rockhampton Hospital Department of Anaesthesia and served as Supervisor of Training, supervising seven ANZCA trainees, one intensive-care trainee and one GP anaesthetist. He has been a sessional specialist anaesthetist at the Mater Private and Hillcrest Private hospitals in Rockhampton since 2016, including upper limb operating lists with Dr Hirpara at the Mater Private Hospital Rockhampton.
Toowoomba to Rockhampton,
via Adelaide and Darwin
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University of Southern Queensland — BAppSc (Hons), Human and Animal Biology
Bachelor of Applied Science with Honours in Human and Animal Biology. Deans Performance Prize for overall performance during the degree.
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Research Assistant — Toowoomba Base Hospital (Queensland Health)
Full-time appointment across Public Health and Sexual Health Services on two projects — exposure to tuberculosis in healthcare workers, and asymptomatic Chlamydia carriage rates in young women.
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University of Southern Queensland — PhD, Human Neurophysiology
Doctoral thesis on the roles of the supplementary motor area and the primary motor cortex in bimanual coordination and movement preparation, with research-assistant roles at USQ alongside the candidature.
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow — University of Adelaide, Department of Physiology
Australian Research Council–funded position investigating mechanisms of cortical plasticity, methods of inducing persistent change in motor cortex organisation, and applications to rehabilitation in brain-damaged patients. Five peer-reviewed papers from this period. Concurrent lecturing in neurophysiology to undergraduates.
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Flinders University of South Australia — BMBS
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery. Clinical Prize for Paediatrics awarded during the final year of medical school.
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Intern → Resident Medical Officer / Service Registrar — Flinders, Repat & Noarlunga
Junior medical officer rotations through Flinders Medical Centre, Repatriation General Hospital and Noarlunga General Hospital — general, colorectal, plastic and orthopaedic surgery; emergency medicine; paediatric medicine; cardiology and general medicine.
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Anaesthetic Registrar — SA & NT Rotational Anaesthetic Training Scheme
Basic and advanced anaesthetic training across Flinders Medical Centre, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Modbury Public Hospital, Women's and Children's Hospital Adelaide, Royal Darwin Hospital (ICU and general/obstetric/paediatric) and the Royal Adelaide Hospital chronic and acute pain services. Primary Exam FANZCA September 2011.
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Advanced Trainee → Provisional Fellow / SMO — Rockhampton Hospital
Final year of advanced anaesthetic training at Rockhampton Hospital, then provisional fellow and senior medical officer through to fellowship. Final Exam FANZCA May 2016.
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Specialist Anaesthetist & Supervisor of Training — Rockhampton Hospital
Specialist appointment in the Department of Anaesthesia. Supervisor of Training for seven ANZCA trainees, one intensive-care trainee and one GP anaesthetist.
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Specialist Anaesthetist (sessional) — Mater Private & Hillcrest Private Hospitals
Sessional specialist anaesthetist at both private hospitals in Rockhampton, including upper limb operating lists with Dr Hirpara at the Mater Private Hospital Rockhampton.
Outside the operating theatre
A short tour of Darrin's special interests, teaching and research background — the work that sits behind a 25-year career across neuroscience, medicine and anaesthesia.
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Special interest — Regional Anaesthesia
Regional anaesthesia is the technique used for most upper limb operating: ultrasound-guided brachial plexus and peripheral nerve blocks of the arm, providing post-operative pain relief alongside general anaesthesia. A long-standing area of interest, with workshop attendance including the Adelaide Regional Anaesthesia Workshop (2013).
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Special interest — Paediatric Anaesthesia
Paediatric anaesthetic rotations at the Women's and Children's Hospital Adelaide and Royal Darwin Hospital, plus ongoing engagement with the Society for Paediatric Anaesthesia in New Zealand and Australia.
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ANZCA Supervisor of Training
Supervisor of Training at the Rockhampton Hospital Department of Anaesthesia (2016–2018), supervising seven ANZCA trainees, one intensive-care trainee and one GP anaesthetist.
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Research — motor cortex neurophysiology
Australian Research Council–funded postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Adelaide investigating cortical plasticity and the rehabilitation of brain-damaged patients. Five peer-reviewed publications in J Clin Neurosci, Eur J Pain, Neuroreport, Exp Brain Research and Clin Neurophysiol, plus a PhD thesis on the supplementary motor area and bimanual coordination.
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Teaching — undergraduate neurophysiology & anatomy
Lecturer in neurophysiology to third-year Physiology and Biomedical Science undergraduates at the University of Adelaide (1999–2000); Lecturer A in introductory anatomy and physiology to Medical Imaging students at the University of South Australia (2001); supervision of two third-year Biomedical Science neurophysiology research projects, both subsequently published.
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Awards & membership
Clinical Prize for Paediatrics (Flinders University, 2005). Deans Performance Prize (USQ, 1992). Member of the Australian Society of Anaesthetists.