Professor Richard Bittar

Dr Richard Bittar is a highly experienced Neurosurgeon and Spinal Surgeon at Precision Health renowned for his expertise in treating spinal conditions, movement disorders, and various intracranial conditions. As a pioneer in the field, he holds the distinction of being the first spinal surgeon in Victoria to perform robotic spinal surgery, deep brain stimulation for Tourette's, MR-guided focused ultrasound for tremor, and stereotactic radiosurgery for brain tumours. In fact, he is the sole neurosurgeon in Australia conducting MR-guided focused ultrasound for pain management.

Dr Bittar completed his medical degree at the University of Sydney in 1994, followed by his PhD in Functional Brain Mapping at the same university. He later completed post-fellowship training in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery at Oxford and became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2004. His career spans several successful endeavours, including establishing and leading several deep brain stimulation and psychosurgery services in Australia. Dr Bittar's contributions to the field are widely recognised through published scientific articles and presentations at several national and international meetings.

Dr Bittar employs a range of cutting-edge surgical techniques, including minimally invasive, robotic, and navigated approaches, to ensure the safety and success of spinal and brain surgeries. As a Clinical Professor at Deakin University, he plays a vital role in educating future medical professionals. Moreover, he is highly regarded as a medico-legal examiner, bringing his wealth of experience to assess workers compensation, transport accidents, public liability, and medical negligence claims.

Dr Bittar's areas of expertise include:

• Robotic spinal surgery
• Disc prolapse and spinal stenosis
• Spinal and peripheral nerve surgery
• Cervical and lumbar spine surgery
• Keyhole and complex spinal surgery
• Spinal cord and occipital nerve stimulation
• Carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve surgery
• Deep brain stimulation for conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Essential Tremor, and Tourette's syndrome
• Treatment of gliomas, metastases, and meningiomas