Associate Professor Andrew Cochrane

Andrew is a leading cardiac and thoracic surgeon from Melbourne, Victoria with over 30 years of experience in all areas of that speciality (adult cardiac, paediatric cardiac, transplant, and thoracic surgery). Andrew is an Associate Professor at Monash University and is actively involved in a number of research projects at the Florey Institute of Medical Research, with many recent publications. These projects involve investigation of the effects of cardiopulmonary bypass (the heart-lung machine) on function of the kidneys and the brain, and careful measurement of tissue oxygen levels and blood flow. He has over 140 publications over the course of his career. 

 

He is heavily involved with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), serving on several committees and regularly teaching on courses for trainees. He has been a member of the RACS Council since early 2021 (equivalent to a Director role). He was the Chair of the RACS Victorian State Committee, from 2006‐2008. He is currently a member of the Cardiothoracic Board and Chair of the RACS Scholarships and Grants committee. He was previously Chair of the Science and Education committee for the Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons (2016-2023), and was the main convener for the annual Cardiothoracic conference. He was chair of the Pathology committee for the Surgical Sciences examination until early 2023. 

 

From 2003 to 2011, he volunteered his time annually in Timor‐ Leste providing surgical care on a pro bono basis, in addition to volunteer surgical work on cardiac surgery teams in several Pacific nations through Operation Open Heart and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. More recently, he has been involved with Maluk Timor Australia as a board member and donor (2006 to 2024), and as a board member of the East Timor Hearts Fund from 2014 to 2018, and an ongoing member of their Clinical Governance Committee.

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In addition to his volunteer surgical services, Andrew is engaged in several other philanthropic activities through Monash University and the University of Melbourne, including financing the Margaret Schofield scholarships for outstanding VCE music students, the Donald Cochrane Scholarship through the Faculty of Business and Economics for Ph.D. scholars, and the Margaret Schofield Opera Scholarship through the Melba Opera Trust. He is currently a Director and Trustee of the Cochrane ‐ Schofield Charitable Fund, a  Director of ACSRIL (Australian Cardiac Surgery Research  Institution Limited) which runs the ANZSCTS cardiac Surgery database, and deputy chair of Auslamat (Australia Sri Lanka Medical Aid Team).