Written by Professor Peter John Wormald
Prof. PJ Wormald
MD, FAHMS, FRACS, FACS, FCS(SA), FRCS (Ed), MBChB
Professor of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
Professor of Skull Base Surgery
University of Adelaide
Professor Wormald is recognised as a significant contributor to rhinology and skull base surgery and is a sought after key-note speaker around the world. His sole author textbook “Sinus Surgery: Anatomy, 3-Dimensional Reconstruction and Surgical Approach” is an internationally recognised book on surgery that has been translated into seven languages and is currently in its 4th edition. He is also an editor on another major textbook published in 2025, “Rhinology – Diseases of the Nose, Sinuses and Skull Base” with co-editors Peter Hwang, David Kennedy and Richard Orlandi. He has co-edited with Yvonne Chang another major textbook published in 2025, “Essentials of Rhinology and Allergy”. He has also co-edited 12 other internationally published books in past years. He has published over 570 peer-reviewed papers in international journals. He has a significant interest in rhinological research and has built a research team that has successfully looked at both the acquired and innate immune systems with particular reference to their roles in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The role of fungal allergy has been studied including the innate immune response in CRS with the investigation of B-defensins, cathelicidins and surface surfactant. Recently, his research team has investigated the role of biofilms in CRS with reference to the interaction between the metabolic activity of biofilms and disease severity in CRS. In this age of antibiotic resistance, his research team led by Professor Sarah Vreugde and Professor Alkis Psaltis, has put together a comprehensive program of using bacteriophages to treat multi-resistant infections. In addition, this research team has developed the sheep as an animal model to research various aspects of nasal disease and surgery, including the vascular injury course on sheep. The sheep has allowed research into the healing of the nose after sinus surgery and into the development of a dissolvable dressing used to prevent adhesions and improve healing, moving from the laboratory to become commercially available. Professor Wormald has also developed a series of new surgical techniques, including endoscopic DCR, swing-door technique of uncinectomy, building block approach to the frontal recess, Vidian neurectomy, bath-plug closure of CSF leaks, endoscopic frontal drillout, and has developed multiple endoscopic skull base approaches, and has worked with industry to develop over 30 endoscopic and skull base instruments. He was one of the rhinologists that started the ANZRS (Australia and New Zealand Rhinologic Society) and is a past President of the ANZRS. He was recently awarded an honorary fellowship of the American College of Surgeons in 2023 and elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. His past awards include the AMA award for a significant contribution to medicine, ASOHNS medal for a significant contribution to the science and art of Otolaryngology, and the American Rhinological Society Award for a significant contribution to Rhinology.