Dr Larsen is the Honorary Secretary for the International Confederation of Plastic Surgery Societies (ICOPLAST), and for the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Dr Larsen is a specialist plastic and reconstructive surgeon since 2011. He graduated with honours from Erasmus University Medical School in Rotterdam, The Netherlands in 2002, and completed advanced training in plastic, reconstructive, hand and aesthetic surgery in Amsterdam. He completed fellowship training in hand and wrist surgery (Leuven, Belgium) and reconstructive microsurgery (Adelaide, SA). He obtained a PhD in experimental reconstructive surgery conducted at Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN, USA and defended his thesis at the VU University, Amsterdam in 2011.
Mikko is committed to meeting and exceeding his patients’ expectations – his approach is to communicate clearly and effectively at every step of the way, and to put the patient’s needs first at all times.
Dr Larsen was trained by world-renowned surgeons in their respective fields. General surgery training (2 years) at Albert Schweitzer hospital in The Netherlands inspired his love of working in regional centres and forms a strong foundation for his reconstructive surgery mindset. Dr Larsen spent almost two years at the Mayo Clinic Microvascular Research Laboratory in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. Profs Allen Bishop, Alexander Shin and Robert Spinner from the Mayo Clinic brachial plexus and upper extremity reconstructive surgery team provided guidance and mentorship for his PhD research conducted at this world-renown institution. The Mayo Clinic core value was deeply instilled in him during that time: ‘The needs of the patient come first’.
Subsequent advanced training at Amsterdam University Medical Centre provided him with a deep and broad grasp on all aspects of plastic, reconstructive, aesthetic and hand surgery. Prof Marco Ritt (Amsterdam) was his supervisor and mentor and is a world expert on hand and wrist surgery. Dr Henri Winters was one of his supervisors and is one of the top reconstructive surgeons in Europe.
Profs Stan Monstrey, Philip Blondeel, Koen Van Landuyt and Moustapha Hamdi guided him through the last three months of his training at their department in Gent, Belgium and inspired his love of autologous breast reconstruction and perforator flap surgery. Profs Luc De Smet and Ilse Degreef of Leuven University, Belgium taught him the finesses of hand and wrist surgery during a six-month fellowship at the conclusion of his advanced training. Following that, during a two-month observership in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the legendary Prof Ivo Pitanguy taught him that the essence of a successful career lies in embracing those around you and always striving for a better outcome. His team demonstrated world-class excellence in aesthetic surgery of the face and body and taught Dr Larsen many of the finesses of cosmetic surgery of the face and body.
In 2012 Prof Hamdi brought Dr Larsen on the Brussels University Hospital staff and taught him many valuable skills in perforator flap surgery and breast surgery; concurrently he worked in Amsterdam at Prof Ritt’s private day surgery for hand and wrist surgery, The Hand Clinic. In 2013 Mikko established a breast and head and neck reconstructive surgery service in The Hague, The Netherlands. While there, he remained engaged in research and teaching, including supervising a PhD project on advanced technology in wound healing, and was a member of the regional medical research ethics board.
In 2016, in search of new horizons Dr Larsen emigrated to Australia. He completed the year-long Royal Adelaide Hospital microsurgery fellowship programme and in 2017 settled in Launceston. He was awarded Fellowship with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) by Examination in December 2018 and now works as a staff specialist at the Launceston General Hospital (LGH), and in private practice in Launceston and St Helens. The attraction to a regional centre such as Launceston, is the ability to offer a very broad palette of services to best serve the local community within the region. This is also reflected in the traineeship offered to RACS advanced trainees by Dr Larsen and his colleagues, and the international year-long fellowship programme initiated there by him in collaboration with the LGH Department of Surgery. He is the Supervisor of Training for the RACS accredited advanced training program in Launceston and is also the Fellowship Supervisor for the Launceston Regional Plastic Surgery Fellowship programme.
Dr Larsen stays current with the latest techniques and advances. He is an author on more than 40 peer reviewed publications and book chapters in plastic and reconstructive surgery and hand surgery. He is a Clinical Examiner for RACS, he is a peer reviewer for the Australia and New Zealand Journal of Surgery, the Australasian Journal of Plastic Surgery and for the European Journal of Plastic Surgery. He is a faculty member for the Australia and New Zealand Burns Association, and for the Interplast organisation. He is a member of numerous professional organisations, including the Mayo Clinic Alumni Association, The Netherlands Society for Surgery of the Hand, Netherlands and European Boards of Plastic Surgery, The American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, the Australian Medical Association, the Australian Hand Surgery Society and the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). In 2019 he was co-opted to ASPS Council, focussing on the strengths of regional centres for plastic surgery and on the support for international medical graduates on the pathway to RACS Fellowship. In 2020 Dr Larsen joined the Board of Directors for the International Confederation of Plastic Surgery Societies (ICOPLAST) as Oceania Representative and in 2021 was elected Councillor for ASPS; he sits on numerous committees for both organisations. In 2021 he was elected as a member to the Tasmanian State Committee for RACS. In 2022 he was elected Secretary to the ICOPLAST Board of Directors and in 2023 was elected to serve as Honorary Secretary on ASPS Council. Dr Larsen is also a member of the Australian Government Department of Health’s Breast Implant Expert Working Group, advising the Therapeutic Goods Administration on safety issues relating to breast implants and breast tissue expanders. He was awarded the Patrick J. Kelly Special Fellows Research Award at Mayo Clinic and the Netherlands Society for Plastic Surgery biennial award for best experimental research for his PhD research.
Dr Larsen is passionate about quality and maintenance of standards and skills. He is a member of the RACS Academy of Surgical Educators and he regularly teaches trainees, medical students (through UTAS) and nursing and allied health staff, as well as surgeons in the Asia-Pacific region through the Interplast organisation. Dr Larsen has demonstrated excellent consistency in results of complex microsurgical reconstructions through his commitment to teamwork and clear and open communication between team members. He has built on his broad international experience and his additional advanced training in Australia to provide a broad range of services to the Tasmanian population and beyond.
Dr Larsen enjoys spending time with his family, mountain biking and exploring all the nature, culture and food that Tassie has to offer.
Launceston’s City Park Radio interview with Mikko Larsen and Chris Sayer in December 2020 discussing Mikko’s journey and how he settled in Tasmania.
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