Dr Suzanne Cartwright graduated from Flinders University Medical School in 2006, having undertaken her medical training in a variety of locations, including 18 months in regional areas. She completed her internship and RMO years at the Royal Adelaide Hospital then undertook training in anaesthesia in Adelaide and Alice Springs from 2008-2013. Having been encouraged to consider pain medicine training she moved to Victoria to undertake training through the Faculty of Pain Medicine in Geelong and Melbourne. She was awarded a Merit award at the 2014 Faculty of Pain Medicine examination, followed by obtaining formal qualifications as a Specialist Anaesthetist (FANZCA) and Specialist Pain Medicine Physician (FFPMANZCA).
Dr Cartwright commenced private pain medicine practice in 2018. She sees patients with all types of persistent pain and aims to work with patients to help them achieve better function and quality of life through pain management strategies and techniques that are relevant for the individual. She has experience in managing pain through using interventional, pharmacological, psychological and physical strategies along with working with allied health practitioners to enhance the psychological and physical strategies. She has a particular interest in seeing patients with existing persistent pain or who are at risk of persistent pain prior to surgery. As an anaesthetist as well as a pain medicine specialist she is well equipped to work with the patient, surgeon and anaesthetist to develop and assist with executing a pain management plan from pre surgery through to rehabilitation.
She also provides anaesthesia and acute pain management services at both Tamworth Hospital and Tamara Private Hospital. She is the medical director of the Acute Pain Service at Tamworth Hospital where she enjoys participating in the management of patients with complex acute pain as well as working to reduce the risk of transition to persistent pain.
Dr Cartwright is a member of the Australian Pain Society, the International Association for the Study of Pain, the Australian Society of Anaesthetists, the Neuromodulation Society of Australian and New Zealand, the International Neuromodulation Society and the Medico-legal Society of NSW. She is an active participant in the training of anaesthetists and in the work of the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Anaesthetists.
Dr Cartwright with continue her practice out of Regional Specialists Tamworth from August 2019.