Rob Atkinson (surgeon)

Brigadier (ret'd) Robert Neville "Rob" Atkinson, AM, RFD, FAMA (born 21 March 1947) is an orthopaedic surgeon and retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps, who is best known for his contributions to trauma and military surgery.

Career
In 1970, Atkinson graduated MB, BS from the University of Adelaide, completed his residency, then served with the Australian Army as a medical officer during the Vietnam War, specialising in trauma and orthopaedic surgery. He continued his career in the Australian Army Reserve, becoming Assistant Surgeon General (Army) of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). In 1998, he reached the rank of brigadier. He was also Emeritus Consultant in Military Surgery for the ADF.

His military service included deployment to the Gulf War, and peacekeeping missions in Rwanda, Bougainville and East Timor. He also served in Aceh, and Samoa, following the tsunamis of 2005 and 2009.

He has served on the council of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), and received the E. S. R. Hughes Award for distinguished contributions to military surgery.

In 2008, he was appointed Member of the Order of Australia (AM) "for services to medicine as an orthopaedic surgeon and through contributions to professional associations", and was admitted as a Fellow of the Australian Medical Association (FAMA) in the same year.

Publications
Atkinson has contributed to published papers on medical, surgical and road safety since 1978, including: