Chris O'Brien (surgeon)

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Chris O'Brien (1952–2009) was an Australian head and neck surgeon who became well known for his compassionate care and his appearance on the medical reality show RPA.

Born in Regents Park, a Sydney suburb, he came from a working-class family and excelled at Parramatta Marist High School, where he was school captain and dux in 1969. He studied medicine at the University of Sydney and spent his career in Sydney, holding several high-profile roles. He was Director of the Sydney Cancer Centre at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the University of Sydney, Professor of Surgery at the University of Sydney, Director of the Sydney Head and Neck Cancer Institute, and Director of Cancer Services for the Sydney South West Area Health Service. In 1998 he founded the Australian and New Zealand Head Neck Society and served as its president in 2004. He lectured widely, wrote books, and published more than 100 scientific papers.

O’Brien helped establish the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse cancer centre at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, named in his honor after his death. He first appeared on the medical reality series RPA in 1997, which raised his public profile.

In November 2006 he was diagnosed with a highly malignant brain tumor, glioblastoma multiforme. He underwent brain surgery five times, along with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and wrote about his fight in his autobiography Never Say Die. He died on 4 June 2009 at age 57 and received a state funeral at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney. He is survived by his wife Gail and their children.

After his death, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd appointed him Officer of the Order of Australia (posthumously). The Chris O'Brien Lifehouse remains a lasting part of his legacy, continuing to support cancer treatment and research as a key part of the Sydney Cancer Centre.