Mr Thien graduated from Monash University with honours in 1985. After his internship at the Alfred Hospital, he spent two years working in surgical research for the Alfred Hospital Department of Surgery and Monash University. This was followed by three years of general surgery resident and registrar positions. He commenced neurosurgery training in 1992 and completed this in 1995.

Further specialist training was undertaken via a fellowship in epilepsy surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington from 1996–97. During this period, he combined working as an attending neurosurgeon at the Children’s Hospital and Medical Centre with teaching responsibilities in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington.

Mr Thien operates at the Epworth Hospital, St Vincent’s Public Hospital and St Vincent’s Private Hospital Melbourne. His main rooms are at The Epworth Centre but he also consults regularly in Box Hill, Ringwood and services the regional centres of Albury-Wodonga and Mildura.

He is a member of the Victorian Road Fatalities Trauma Committee reviewing state deaths resulting from road traffic accidents. The focus of his spinal surgery is a minimally invasive approach and he is well experienced in reconstructive spinal surgery.

Through his appointment at St Vincent’s Hospital, Mr Thien is actively involved in the under-graduate teaching of medical students and the post-graduate training of neurosurgical residents and registrars.

Mr Thien is fluent in Cantonese, Malay, Hakka and Mandarin.