Michael’s Fellowship testimonial

September 7, 2026

As an Austrian in Australia – my experience as the 2025-2026 Sydney endoscopic ear surgery fellow

I had the great pleasure to be the 2025-2026 SEES fellow and spend an unforgettable year in Sydney. My partner and I were very excited about moving to a different country on the other side of the world. Unsurprisingly, Sydney was an incredibly welcoming place. We met wonderful people, experienced striking nature, and were immediately hooked by its active lifestyle.

I decided to apply for the SEES fellowship to gain experience in the endoscopic approach, as my otologic training was purely microscopic. I wanted to assess the endoscope’s strengths and weaknesses in a structured way. Within the fellowship this came very naturally. Because the group has such vast experience with the endoscope, I could quickly manage most middle-ear pathologies totally endoscopic but also see its limitations and quickly decide to convert to microscopic surgery when necessary. I can only recommend this fellowship to everyone who wants to explore the endoscope for otologic surgery.

The fellowship has a public and private component, working one day of the week in the public hospital and rotating the remaining days between the different private hospitals. This combination resulted in a good mix of guided training and independent practice. On the private days there is close one-on-one supervision with a gradual increase in operating time. Alex, Jonathan, Nicholas and Nirmal are great people, mentors, and experienced surgeons, whom I enjoyed learning from and getting to know immensely. Working with four consultants, each fellowship trained at a different unit, also allowed me to see slight nuances in surgical techniques, which I was happy to pick up.

On the public days, the fellow leads the surgery and makes most intraoperative decisions. You also work closely with the trainees and guide them through surgery, which, for me, was especially important and prepared me well for my current position in an academic teaching unit.

The fellowship provides a high-volume surgical experience over the entire range of otology. I logged close to 400 cases, which included over 120 cholesteatomas (65 primary cases, 30 revision cases and about 30 second look operations), and about 40 stapedotomies and 40 cochlear implants. Also noteworthy are the many exostoses, which provided good exposure to canaloplasties. Rarer cases included transmastoid encephalocele-repairs, SSCD repair, paragangliomas, external ear canal stenoses and few BCIs. Next to the operating theatre, the fellow regularly attends otology and skull-base radiology meetings at three different public hospitals.

One of my most memorable experiences was a week of surgical outreach in the Solomon Islands. Nirmal annually visits Honiara to perform otologic surgery at the local hospital, and this year I was privileged to join. In short, it was one of the most humbling and rewarding experiences of my career so far. (https://solomons.gov.sb/royal-australasian-college-of-surgeons-racs-team-delivers-life-changing-ent-care-in-the-solomon-islands/).

Exploring Sydney with my partner, we thoroughly enjoyed everything it had to offer. The great food on every corner, the wonderful coffee, its music scene, and of course its wonderful nature (we left Australia as bird-watchers). Sydney is an incredibly active and early rising city, which is quite infectious. When there was time, we went scuba diving, played beach volleyball, or just enjoyed our time outside. During our year, we also visited Tasmania and travelled around NSW, but there is still so much more to see that we are already planning our first trip back.

Overall, it was a wonderful year that I will never forget. I am grateful to have met so many wonderful people, both in and outside of the operating room. This experience laid the groundwork for my otologic practice, and I already look forward to visiting again soon!