DR LIANA ROODT
Breast and Endocrine Surgeon
MBChB; FCS (SA); MMed (Surgery) (Cum Laude)
Dr Liana Roodt is a specialist general surgeon with a passion for cutting-edge breast care and surgery including breast conserving cancer surgery. Evidence-based medicine and rigorous surgical discipline form the foundation of her practice, but what differentiates her is her drive to provide truly integrated and holistic patient care. She aims to offer not just surgery but access to a complete package of breast and personal health.
Dr Roodt matriculated in 1999 with distinction from the Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool (AHMP) in Pretoria where she was head girl. She then obtained her MBChB from the University of Pretoria in 2006. During her time as medical student, she not only excelled academically but also made her mark as student leader – she served on the medical student curriculum committee as student representative from 2004-2006 and was chair of the medical student council in 2006. Dr Roodt was honoured to receive an award of excellence in leadership and service from the University of Pretoria in the same year.
After graduating, Dr Roodt completed her internship at Groote Schuur Hospital in 2008 and community service in Barberton, Mpumalanga, in 2009. After returning to Cape Town, she worked at GF Jooste Hospital as a surgical medical officer while also completing a post graduate certificate in Integrative Medicine at the University of Stellenbosch. It was during this time that Dr Roodt created Project Flamingo (www.projectflamingo.co.za), a successful non-profit company, to address the long and distressing treatment waiting time faced by breast cancer patients in the public health care sector. Project Flamingo puts into physical form Dr Roodt’s belief that breast cancer patients, regardless of their socio-economic circumstances, need more than just an operation: they need timely and compassionate care.
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Dr Roodt joined the Groote Schuur Department of Surgery in 2012 where she obtained her Fellowship of the College of Surgeons of South Africa (FCS(SA)) as well as a master’s degree in Surgery (MMed (Surg)) Cum Laude from the University of Cape Town in 2016. During her training, she twice received awards for her research work within the surgery department, was appointed Chief Resident and was named one of the top 10 health care innovators of 2014 by the UCT Graduate School of Business’ Bertha Institute. In 201, Dr Roodt was privileged to be named one of ten “inspirational women to know in South Africa” (www.culturetrip.com) for her work as founder and director of Project Flamingo.
After qualifying as a specialist, Dr Roodt worked as a consultant surgeon and Fellow in the Surgical Breast and Endocrine and Trauma Surgery Units at Groote Schuur Hospital. She used this opportunity to refine my special interest in breast surgery by learning from the best, including local and visiting international experts alike. Additionally, she also gained valuable experience in managing surgical endocrine pathology, particularly thyroid and parathyroid disease. During this time, Dr Roodt lectured pre-and postgraduate surgical students from the University of Cape Town. She is regularly invited as guest speaker for various events and congresses on breast and woman’s health.
Dr Liana Roodt now aims to bring my passion and the expertise that she has gained in the public and academic health care sector to private medicine in South Africa, where she believes she can make a tangible contribution. After opening her private breast and endocrine surgery practice in October 2017, Dr Roodt was offered the opportunity to remain as sessional consultant at the Groote Schuur Hospital Breast and Endocrine Unit — an honour she gladly accepted as she believes that an affiliation with an institute of academic medicine is of the utmost importance to deliver up to date and evidence-based care in the private sector. In this manner she also contributes to bridging the gap between private and public health care in South Africa.
“Implementation of the Electronic Trauma Health Care Record in a tertiary trauma unit in South Africa” (Roodt, L; Nicol A; Navsaria PH; Edu, S) presented at the UCT Department of Surgery Research day 2015 – 1st prize
“Female general surgeons in South Africa – current status, perceptions and challenges” (Roodt,L; Cairncross L; Klopper JH) presented at the UCT Department of Surgery Research day 2016 – 2nd prize
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