Certificate of Advanced Skin Cancer Medicine and Surgery - Part 2 (Practical) - Melbourne 2026
Date: 7th - 8th November 2026
Early Bird Pricing
$2595
(AUS - Excludes GST)
Introduction
This course has been designed for General Practitioners, Surgical Registrars and Nurse Practitoners with existing experience in skin cancer diagnosis and basic surgical knowledge.
Our team of leading surgeons and GP Skin Cancer Specialists will equip you with advanced medical and surgical skills, decision-making frameworks, and confidence to manage a broad range of skin cancers, and other cutaneous lesions, including those in cosmetically sensitive areas. This will enable you to appropriately manage the majority of lesions you will encounter in primary practice and to help you identify when specialist referral is necessary.
A combination of lectures and practical sessions will cover medical management, and surgical closure techniques with ellipses (techniques to close tight wounds), flaps and grafts.
There is plenty of time for all to practise and get multiple differing tutors perspectives and advice.
This two day course is the practical component of our new Professional Certificate of Advanced Skin Cancer Medicine and Surgery.
Guest presenters and tutors this year include Professor Cliff Rosendahl, Dr Mohammad Hassani and Dr Jonny Levy among others.
Key information and venue
Cost: $2595 (AUS - Excludes GST)
Location: Rydges Melbourne, AUS
Address: 186 Exhibition Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000
Date: 7th - 8th November 2026
CME Credits: Skin Cancer Symposiums are an RNZCGP and RACGP endorsed CPD provider. We will be applying for this specific course to be approved for up to 25 CME credits for the General Practice Educational Programme (GPEP) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) purposes.
Eligibility Criteria:
1. Candidates must be registered health practitioners who are operating within the scope of their governing body.
To get the most out of the full two day course you should ideally be able to self declare competency in the following:
- Familiarity with the basics of skin anatomy.
- Have a solid understanding of surgical instruments and sutures and are proficient at using them.
- Can tie surgical knots, slide a knot, and perform simple elliptical excisions/closures.
- Competent in a range of suture techniques including the mattress, running, corner, pulley and deep dermal stitches.
- Have a basic understanding of flaps.
However, this is not a requirement. As long as you cover the 'prereading' content before attending you are able to attend the course and you will cover everything you need on day 1 to be able to partake in the more advanced sessions of day 2.
Complimentary Surgical Training Kit
We all know that practice makes perfect. A complimentary surgical training kit with high quality silicone skin, surgical instruments and plenty of practice sutures (worth $200 NZD) is provided to each delegate so you can continue to practice at home.
Course Snapshot
Our Tutors
More tutors to be confirmed shortly
Professor Cliff Rosendahl
University of Queensland
Dr Andrew MacGill, Director
Skin Cancer Doctor, Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of GPs
Dr Chris Boberg, Director
Deputy Chair Melnet NZ. Chair of New Zealand Skin Cancer Doctors
Dr Kasia Mackenzie
Plastic Surgeon FRACS (Plast), PhD (Skin Cancer)
Dr Jonny Levy
Skin Cancer Doctor, MBBS, BSc, FRACGP, FARGP
Dr Balwin Jassal
MBChB (Auck), FRNZCGP
What will the course cover?
We reserve the right to alter the course to maximise your education.
Day 1 (7th November 2026)
8:15am - 8:45am: Registration / coffee
8:45am - 9:00am: How to use the IT and housekeeping
9:00am -10:00am: The Fundamentals of Cutaneous Surgery (Prof Clif Rosendahl)
10:00am - 10:30am: Ellipses (Drs Andrew MacGill and Chris Boberg)
10:30am - 11:00am: Practical
11:00am - 11:30am: Morning tea / networking
11:30am - 12:00pm: Benign excisions (Dr Chris Boberg)
12:00pm – 12:30pm: High Risk lesions (A. Prof. Jonny Levy)
12:30pm - 1:30pm: Lunch / networking
1:30pm – 2:00pm: Haemostasis and Local/Regional Anaesthesia
2:00pm – 2:30pm: The Rotation Flap: How and Where to Use
2:30pm – 3:00pm: Practical
3:00pm – 3:30pm: Afternoon Tea
3:30pm – 4:00pm: Medical Management (Dr Chris Boberg)
4:00pm – 4:30pm: Know your skillset and limits (Prof Cliff Rosendahl and Dr Mohammad Hassani)
4:30pm – 5:30pm: Summary of the Day / Questions & Answers / Practical
Day 2 (8th November 2026)
8:45am - 9:45am: UQ Flap and Keystone Flaps Lecture and time to demo and delegate practice (Dr Mohammad Hassani)
9:45am - 10:15am: The Full Thickness Graft (Dr Andrew MacGill)
10:15am – 10:45am: Pinna and Reconstructive Options (Dr Katarzyna MacKenzie Plastic Surgeon)
10:45am – 11:15am: The A-T and V-Y Flaps (Dr Andrew MacGill)
11:15am - 11:45am: Morning tea / networking
11:45am – 12:15pm: The Nose and Reconstructive Options (Dr Katarzyna MacKenzie Plastic Surgeon)
12:15pm – 1:00pm: Practical
1:00pm – 2:00pm: Lunch/Networking
2:00pm – 2:30pm: The Lips and Reconstructive Options (Dr Katarzyna MacKenzie Plastic Surgeon)
2:30pm – 3:15pm: Practice on Pigskins
3:15pm - 3:45pm: Afternoon tea / networking
3:45pm – 4:45pm: A summary of the weekend and take-home messages
4:45pm – 5:30pm: Open Forum for Questions and Recaps or Additional Pigskin Practice
What our students say about us
We are proud to achieve 4.8/5 overall in all of our courses. Read our reviews.
"Of the many courses I have been, this is the best. Immensely experienced faculty. I am finding it very easy as the algorithms are simplified. All the previous metaphoric language has been replaced by easy terminology. I recommend this to everyone. I think this system is going to change dermatoscopy tremendously for a good reason."
Dr Achuth Hosur - Dermatologist, Medical Director SK:N
"Often in medicine, we learn from the giants who come before us. Cliff Rosendhal is such a man. Listening to him speak with passion and teach with enthusiasm is both a pleasure and a practice-changing experience. His algorithms for diagnosing skin cancers are easy to learn and unequivocal in practice. I diagnosed my first melanoma after his first course and now I’m back for more. Every GP should attend this course as it will make you unafraid to ask the question 'do you have a lesion of concern you want me to look at?' Come join the league of simple GP’s who are changing lives!"
Dr Frederick Goh - Principle, Royal Heights Doctors
"An excellent and extremely well run and useful symposium. Superb lectures delivered with clarity and made easy for the participants to assimilate and remember. I attended the meeting last year at Oxford, and I think that was a better venue, at least for me. Thank you to all who organised this meeting - Australia + New Zealand = unbeatable."
Mr Harvey Minasian - Consultant General Surgeon
"Chaos and Clues is an easy to remember and very practical algorithm to use. It seems that it’s about recognising that something needs excision and is therefore treated correctly rather than getting the exact diagnosis 100% every time. The method gives confidence that it’s easier not to miss these significant lesions."
Dr Mary-Anne Bellamy - GP, Hoon Hay Medical Centre
"Amazing symposium today. Gave me the skills needed to operate my dermascope and the knowledge, tools and practice needed to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions. I absolutley enjoyed everything from the organisation, food, quality of presenters and location. A friendly reception on arrival by the ladies made The experience even more wonderful. Many thanks to you all."
Dhyanne Hohepa - Nurse Practitioner
"I should have done this years ago. Excellent teaching - understandable, engaging and memorable. Using a dermatoscope is paradigm shifting for me. Dr Rosendahl is one of the best teachers I have ever heard. Worth every cent."
Dr Joanna Lapish - GP, Royal Heights Medical Centre
"Great series of lectures from enthusiastic tutors. Provided lessons to take forward and gain confidence in with further experience. Would definitely recommend to colleagues!"
Ms Pennylouise Hever - Plastic Surgeon
"An excellent symposium. Came away with a lot of new knowledge that I was immediately able to put into practice. Lots of very practical tips. A simplified yet concrete approach to dermatoscopy for the newbie. A very dynamic team with infectious enthusiasm."
Dr Alka Patel - Lifestyle Medicine Physician, GP
"A fantastically delivered training programme which covered most aspects in a 2-day course. Time management was excellent and the presented were experts in this field of dermatoscopy and skin cancers. A special thanks to Professors Cliff Rosendahl and Amanda Oakley for the high-quality presentation which I have not come across in years."
Dr Mohamed Amin - GP, Medical Adviser NHS England (Midlands and East of England)
