Dr Jia Miin Yip

Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon

Jia Miin is a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon currently employed as a Staff Specialist at Flinders Medical Centre, along with her private practice at Adelaide Plastic Surgery. Her surgical work includes a wide range of procedures, from skin cancer surgery, trauma surgery, and hand surgery, to body contouring procedures, breast reconstruction, head and neck reconstruction, and other complex reconstructive procedures.

Jia Miin graduated from the University of Adelaide. Following her internship and resident years at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, she developed an interest in Breast Reconstructive surgery. After being awarded the Flinders Medical Centre Foundation Pink Ribbon Ball Scholarship, she went on to do a PhD in ‘Breast Reconstruction Outcomes’ with Associate Professor Nicola Dean at the Flinders Breast Reconstruction Unit back in 2009. During this time, she helped to establish the use of the Breast-Q for all patients being seen in that unit. The Breast-Q is a patient reported outcomes measure developed by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Centre in New York and has become the gold standard in assessing patient outcomes following breast reconstruction surgery. Her thesis focused on what determines a good breast reconstruction outcome from a patient’s point of view (as opposed to a surgeon’s point of view). The findings from this work were very eye opening, and continue to form the basis of her practice today.

Following completion of her PhD, she commenced Plastic Surgery training in South Australia, which included a 6 month stint at the Royal Darwin Hospital. This short, but incredibly rewarding placement, provided a great insight into a region in Australia that is unlike any other. Working in Darwin taught her the importance of recognising cultural differences, and of adapting one’s practice to better serve patients with different needs.

After completing her Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery training, Jia Miin decided to pursue further expertise in head and neck cancer surgery and reconstruction. She underwent further subspecialty training with the Sydney Head and Neck Cancer Institute at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. She completed the Head and Neck Fellowship specialising in Facial Surgical Oncology and Reconstructive Surgery with Associate Professor Sydney Ch’ng. Working with Assoc Prof Ch’ng and the other eminent surgeons of the busy Head & Neck Unit there, she was involved in various complex and challenging cases. This fellowship year allowed her to gain valuable experience in this subspecialty, and further hone her surgical skills..

In addition to her clinical work she is also actively involved in the supervision and training of plastic surgery trainees, overseas surgeons, junior doctors, and medical students. She is a member of the Head & Neck Multi-Disciplinary Team Meeting and the Breast MDT at Flinders Medical Centre. She continues to be involved in research, and in addition to authoring several scientific papers she is also a reviewer for a number of medical journals.