Dr Adam Wells

Dr Adam Wells is an Adelaide Neurosurgeon with interests in brain tumours and traumatic brain injury. He graduated from the University of Adelaide Medical School in 2003 with First Class Honours and is currently appointed as a Senior Clinical Lecturer for the University of Adelaide and a Clinical Academic Consultant Neurosurgeon for the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Dr Wells commenced his advanced Neurosurgical training in 2008, and has worked in Adelaide, Hobart, Perth and the United Kingdom before finally taking up a clinical academic residency back in Adelaide. In 2014 he gained his PhD from the University of Adelaide for his original research into ischaemic stroke and was awarded the prestigious Peter Leech Memorial Prize and the Nimmo Prize for full-time research. In 2017 Dr Wells was the clinical Neurotrauma Fellow at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge University under the supervision of world-renowned Neurotrauma expert Professor Peter Hutchinson. Since returning to South Australia in 2018 Dr Wells has been appointed as Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Adelaide, Clinical Academic Consultant Neurosurgeon at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, and Visiting Medical Officer at St Andrew's Private Hospital. He is currently the Abbie Simpson Clinical Fellow of the Neurosurgical Research Foundation and the lead for clinical neurotrauma research at the University of Adelaide.

Achievements:
Neurosurgical Research Foundation Research Fellowship
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Dora Lush Biomedical Postgraduate Research Scholarship
Nimmo Prize for Full Time Research, Royal Adelaide Hospital
Peter Leech Memorial Prize
Neurosurgical Society of Australasia Annual Scientific Meeting

Why neurosurgery and neurosurgical research?
"Neurosurgery has always fascinated me. A always knew I wanted to be a doctor, and as I was always good with my hands the idea of surgery appealed to me. But it wasn’t until my third year of medical school during which we were introduced to neuroanatomy that I finally knew what I wanted to do. A good friend, who is now a respected General Surgeon, told me that there was an opportunity to do some research work in Professor Nigel Jones’s Neurosurgical laboratory at the University of Adelaide based in the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and from that point I grabbed every opportunity to undertake and be involved in Neurosurgical Research. I ultimately did a short research project with Professor Jones in my fourth year of medical school, then deferred my last year of medical school to undertake my Bachelor of Medical Science in the laboratory, working closely with Dr Amal Abou Hamden. Professor Jones was instrumental in helping me pursue a career in Neurosurgery, and I credit my love of Neurosurgical Research to him. It was a great honour to be accepted on the Neurosurgical training program and to finally complete a PhD in Neurosciences at Adelaide University. Now that my training is complete, my greatest honour will be to work as a consultant Neurosurgeon at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, to continue the great tradition of Neurosurgical Research within South Australia, and to help train the next generation of young Neurosurgeons that pass through the halls of the Royal Adelaide Hospital. There is a great and unique opportunity within South Australia to further our Neurosurgical knowledge, in no small part due to the extremely talented Neuroscience researchers and Neurosurgeons, and the wonderful support we receive from the Adelaide based Neurosurgical Research Foundation. Every action, big or small, adds to the collective Neurosurgical knowledge and experience, right here in South Australia. With a new hospital and research facility we really are right at the forefront of the future of Neurosurgery, it’s an exciting time to be involved in Neurosurgical Research!"

Research area:
Dr Wells was awarded his PhD in 2015 for his PhD Thesis titled 'A Surgical Model of Occlusive Middle Cerebral Artery Stroke in the Sheep.' Dr Wells' main research interests are in traumatic brain injury, however he has also published unique research on brain tumours, neurovascular and spine pathology, as well as emerging trends in machine learning and artificial intelligence.