Miss Philippa Rust

Miss Philippa Rust is a consultant hand surgeon in Edinburgh who specialises in carpal tunnel syndrome, Dupuytren’s contracture, ganglion cysts, and trigger finger and thumb. She privately practises at Waterfront Private Hospital and her NHS base is NHS Lothian, where she is a consultant hand and wrist surgeon at the Plastic Surgery Unit of St John's Hospital. Her clinical practice is dedicated entirely to hand and wrist surgery, with a focus on conditions that affect hand function and day-to-day activities.

She manages a wide range of orthopaedic and plastic hand conditions and has particular experience in techniques designed to improve recovery times, including wrist arthroscopy, which she is one of the few surgeons in Scotland to perform.

Miss Rust has worked as a consultant in Edinburgh since 2010. She completed her orthopaedic training in London with subspecialisation in hand and wrist surgery, followed by a plastic hand surgery fellowship at the Windsor Hand Clinic in Berkshire. She was among the first surgeons to be awarded the Diploma of Hand Surgery by the British Society for Surgery of the Hand. Further advanced fellowship training was undertaken in Australia, including plastic microsurgery of the hand in Melbourne and upper limb trauma and reconstruction in Brisbane.

She holds a medical degree from the University of London and an MD from University College London and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. Her professional memberships include the British Society for Surgery of the Hand, and she is a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (MRCS).

Alongside her clinical work, Miss Rust has an active role in teaching and education. She is an honorary senior clinical lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and teaches regularly for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, including leadership roles on national and international trauma and hand surgery courses. She supervises postgraduate research projects and contributes to surgical training at multiple levels.

She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and is a regular invited speaker at national conferences. Her contributions to education and research have been recognised through multiple awards and research grants, reflecting her ongoing commitment to advancing hand and wrist surgery.