Artur Zanellato

Clinical Interests and Current Activities

Appointed Consultant General Surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh in 2018, Mr Zanellato combines a specialist clinical practice with active roles in research, education, and surgical training. He has a particular interest in complex minimally invasive surgery, abdominal wall reconstruction, hernia surgery, human factors, and medical education.

Mr Zanellato is involved in undergraduate teaching at the University of Edinburgh Medical School and serves as a clinical and educational supervisor for Foundation Doctors, Surgical Fellows, and Specialist Trainees.

His principal area of expertise is abdominal wall reconstruction and complex hernia surgery. He has an internationally recognised research interest in Lower Abdominal Transverse Interparietal Hernias (LATIH), having developed a classification system that is now used worldwide to support diagnosis, research, and surgical planning.

His clinical practice focuses on complex abdominal wall pathology, including primary and recurrent hernias, interparietal hernias, complex abdominal wall defects, postpartum abdominal wall deformities, burst abdomen, peritoneostomy management, and abdominal wall reconstruction following oncological resection. He is particularly experienced in minimally invasive reconstructive techniques such as eTEP and PeTEP, as well as advanced strategies for loss of domain, including the use of preoperative Botulinum Toxin (Botox).

Mr Zanellato also has a specialist interest in chronic abdominal wall pain syndromes, including Chronic Inguinal Pain (CIP) and Abdominal Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome (ACNES), providing comprehensive diagnostic assessment and tailored management options.

As a member of the Sarcoma and Gynaecological Oncology multidisciplinary teams, he plays a key role in planning and delivering complex abdominal wall reconstructions for patients undergoing surgery for abdominal wall tumours, pelvic malignancies, and metastatic disease.

Through his clinical, academic, and educational activities, Mr Zanellato contributes to the advancement of evidence-based abdominal wall surgery, innovative reconstructive techniques, surgical training, and the promotion of best practice standards internationally.

At the European Hernia Society: Task Force member of the Education Board

At the British Hernia Society: Education Subcommittee Member.

At the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh: Faculty to the NOTSS (Non Technical Skills for Surgeons). 

Advisor for Latin America at NOTSS International Group, RCSEd: Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) | RCSEd

Editorial Board (reviewer) member for the World Journal of Surgery (WJES) and the Annals of Surgery and Medicine.

Mr Zanellato, who was born in Curitiba, Brazil, obtained his medical degree from the Evangelica School of Medicine, which is now known as MacKenzie University. Immediately thereafter, he began his surgical training at the Evangelico University Hospital. During his compulsory military service in 1997, he served as a Lieu Tenant Surgeon at the Brazilian Army Hospital. During this time, he conducted research on the impact of external temperature in haemorrhagic shock in rats. Subsequently, he was awarded an MD thesis from the Federal University of Parana. 

His initial appointment was as a Consultant Trauma Surgeon with a Focus in Tertiary Trauma Care, where he performed highly complex trauma operations. Simultaneously, he served as a general surgeon in the private sector and established his own practice, which focused on gastrointestinal and obesity surgery. He considered a career break in 2011 to develop the medical Emergency and Trauma Response Team and to rebuild and develop the Community Hospital in Soyo, Angola. 

He switched to the United Kingdom in 2014 to embark on a Post CCT Clinical Fellowship in HPB Surgery at Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College, London.

• Senior lecturer in trauma surgery at the Federal University of Parana
• Senior lecturer in pre-hospital care at the Federal University of Parana
• Post-graduate lecturer in traffic medicine at the Federal University of Parana
• Honorary Lecturer of Surgery at the University of Christiana Bolivia
• Honorary Lecturer of Surgery at the University Aquino de Bolivia

• Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) 1993
• Doctor of Medicine (MD) 2001
• Fellow Brazilian College of Surgeons (FBCS)
• Fellow of European Board of Surgeons (FEBS)
• Fellow of American College of Surgeons (FACS)
• Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS Ed)

• Affiliated Fellow in Pan American Trauma Society 1995
• CAPES SCHOLARSHIPS - MD in Surgery, UFPR, Curitiba, Brazil 1996
• Travelling Scholarship in Emergency and Pre-Hospital Medical Care of Stage 75, SAMU, in Paris from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France 1997
• Fellow of the Brazilian Society of Laparoscopic Surgery 1997
• Fellow of the Brazilian College of Digestive Surgery 2001
• Fellow of the Brazilian Society for Bariatric Surgery and Metabolic 2002

• Teaching Excellence Award by the Students of the Paranaense College in Biomedical Sciences in 1992
• Teaching Excellence Award by the Graduating Medical Students of UCEBOL 2004
• Freedom of the City awarded by the Chamber of Councillors of Curitiba for the development of a Trauma Unit in 2006. 
• In 2024, nominated for the South Scottish Trainer of the Year award.
• In 2026, nominated for the European Hernia Society Trainer of the Year award.