Dr Clifton is an Australian trained orthopaedic surgeon specialising in surgery of the shoulder, elbow and upper limb. He completed specialist orthopaedic surgical training in Perth, during which he finished first in his national class for the RACS fellowship exam and was elected president of the Australian Orthopaedic Registrar Association.

He then went on to complete two highly regarded clinical fellowships specialising in upper limb surgery, firstly in Sydney at the Sydney Shoulder Research Institute, and then at the world-renowned Upper Limb Unit at Wrightington Hospital in England. While he was in Europe he also visited world leaders in upper limb surgery in France and Switzerland.

Dr Clifton has a special interest in shoulder and elbow surgery, particularly in the treatment of arthritis and sporting injuries. This includes joint replacement surgery, revision replacement surgery and arthroscopic surgery. He has published numerous scientific papers and contributed to textbook chapters in the field of upper limb surgery. He is an active member of the Shoulder and Elbow Society of Australia, the Royal Australian College of Surgeons and the Australian Orthopaedic Association.