Dr Bruce Ashford is a Wollongong based Head and Neck Surgeon.

Bruce has undergraduate qualifications in Dentistry and Medicine and a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in General Surgery. He undertook postgraduate Fellowships at St George and Liverpool Public Hospitals prior to a Microsurrgey Fellowship in Toronto, Canada. His practice includes both ablative and reconstructive surgery for head and neck disease. 

Bruce is an Associate Professor at the Medical School at the University of Wollongong. His principal research interest is in skin cancer and its spread. 

Professor Clark holds consultant positions in Head and Neck Surgery at Royal Prince Alfred hospital and the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. He directs the international fellowship program and clinical research at the Sydney Head and Neck Cancer Institute. He is actively involved in research with over 100 peer review publications, particularly in the fields of metastatic skin cancer, facial reconstruction, patient education and oral cancer. He coordinates the Sydney Head and Neck Research Group (SHNRG), is a founding member Sydney Facial Nerve Service and is a director of the Beyond Five head and neck charity, all of which represent collaborative specialist groups focused on improving outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer.

Professor Clark’s undergraduate medical training took place at the University of NSW and he trained as a general surgeon before undertaking Head and Neck subspecialty training at St. Vincent’s, Royal Prince Alfred (under the late Professor Chris O’Brien) and Westmead Hospitals in Sydney. He undertook a two-year fellowship in Head and Neck oncologic and reconstructive surgery at the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Health Network, Toronto Canada as part of the American Head and Neck Society advanced oncologic training program. He completed a postgraduate Masters of Biostatistics at the University of Sydney in 2012.

Professor Clark’s clinical focus is on surgery for advanced skin cancer, facial reconstruction for cancer, robotic surgery for oropharyngeal cancer, and salivary gland tumours. He has a particular expertise in Head and Neck microvascular reconstruction and has trained numerous international surgeons in these areas since commencing work at Royal Prince Alfred in 2006. He holds conjoint associate professor appointments with the University of Sydney, University of New South Wales and University of Western Sydney. His greatest achievements are his three sons; Harrison, Jacob and Sebastian.

Associate Professor Ardalan Ebrahimi is a Canberra based Head and Neck Surgeon. His clinical focus is on thyroid and parathyroid surgery, salivary gland tumours, head and neck cancer, advanced skin cancer, transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for throat cancer, reconstructive surgery for patients with facial paralysis and microvascular reconstructive surgery in the head and neck.
 
Raised in Perth, Western Australia, Ardalan studied medicine and graduated with honours at the University of Western Australia before moving to Sydney for further training. He developed a strong interest in Head and Neck Surgery during general surgical training, which he completed in 2009 being awarded Fellowship of The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS). Ardalan went on to complete fellowship training at the Sydney Head & Neck Cancer Institute in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney in thyroid and parathyroid surgery, head and neck cancer surgery and microvascular reconstruction. He then sought to further his training and skills in the United States, undertaking a fellowship in head and neck surgical oncology, microvascular reconstruction and transoral robotic surgery (TORS) at the Mayo Clinic.
 
Whilst in the US, A/Prof Ebrahimi obtained a Masters of Public Health (MPH) at Harvard University to further his work in head and neck cancer research. He has authored numerous research publications, is a regular reviewer for highly regarded scientific journals and he and his research team regularly present their work on thyroid, skin and oral cancer at national and international meetings. He was a lead investigator in the International Consortium for Outcome Research (ICOR) in Head and Neck Cancer, with his research culminating in changes to the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for oral cancer.

Dr Dion Forstner is a Radiation Oncologist and since 2009 has been Head of Radiation Oncology at Liverpool & Campbelltown Hospitals. His main areas of clinical interest are the management of Head & Neck cancers and skin cancers. His undergraduate training was at University of Tasmania and his fellowship training was completed in Adelaide.

He is a conjoint senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales. Since 2014 he has been Dean of The Faculty of Radiation Oncology at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists. He is passionate about implementation of new techniques and technology and ensuring affordable access to high quality radiation therapy in Australia and New Zealand.

He is keen to see an improvement in patient information about cancer treatment options and specifically radiation therapy. Dr Forstner was instrumental in setting up the current Head and Neck cancer multidisciplinary clinic at Liverpool Hospital and the complex skin cancer multidisciplinary clinic also at Liverpool Hospital to serve the needs of patients from south west Sydney. He has been an active contributor to the EViQ protocols for Head and neck and skin malignancies. He has built up the Radiation Oncology Clinical trials unit in south west Sydney to make clinical trial participation more accessible and is an investigator on multiple studies open at Liverpool Hospital including multicentre trials and in-house trials particularly focussed on functional imaging (including MRI) in radiation therapy treatment planning.

Terrie has more than 26 years’ experience as a solicitor with a background in private legal practice and senior management in legal services. Terrie is the Head of Licensing & Professional Standards Scheme at the Law Society of New South Wales. Terrie is also part of the Leadership team at the Society with responsibility for governance, strategy and risk management at the corporate level.

Terrie was inspired to join the Beyond Five Board following her cousin’s treatment for head and neck cancer.

Greg is the Chief Executive NSW/ACT for WesTrac, the Caterpillar dealer in NSW and the ACT. He has over 30 years experience in the capital equipment sector and his experience spans a diverse range of roles in sales, operations and senior leadership positions across Australia and Europe. He is also a director at Energy Power Systems Australia Pty Ltd, the Caterpillar engine, generator and power systems dealer for Australia.
 
Greg was successfully treated for oropharyngeal cancer in 2010 in Adelaide and is looking forward to bringing his experience as a patient to his role as Director for Beyond Five. Greg lives in Newcastle, NSW.
 

Dr Carsten Palme is an Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgeon and Clinical Associate Professor in Surgery at the University of Sydney with 20 years of experience. Dr Palme is the Director of Head and Neck Surgery at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, Sydney and the Head of ENT Surgery at Westmead Private Hospital. Dr Palme is a senior member of the Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre Head and Neck Service, Westmead and has clinical appointments at both Westmead and Royal Prince Alfred Hospitals..

After attending medical school at the University of Sydney Dr Palme completed four years of advanced training in Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery and obtained his Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2002. Dr Palme completed post-training fellowships in the American Head and Neck Oncology Program, University of Toronto, Canada and in Laser Surgery, University of Göttingen, Germany. Dr Palme is the inaugural recipient in 2009 of the Chris O’Brien Travelling Fellowship Award. In 2011 Dr Palme was awarded the Coman Kennedy Laser Scholarship. In 2012 the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons presented Dr Palme with a “ Certificate of Outstanding Services “.

Dr Palme is active in both research and education and leads the head and neck fellowship program at Westmead Public Hospital. Dr Palme has convened and organised many national and international courses and conferences. Dr Palme has published widely in peer reviewed journals, written many book chapters and recently edited a book on skin cancer of the head neck. Dr Palme is regular invited speaker both at national and international meetings.

Dr Palme treats both adult and paediatric ENT disorders and has particular interest and expertise in thyroid and parathyroid surgery, salivary gland disorders and tumors, advanced skin cancer and all aspects of head and neck cancer. Dr Palme is particularly well known for his extensive experience in minimally invasive head neck surgery and practices both transoral laser and robotic surgery.

Dr Palme is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and a member of the Australian Society of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, the Australian and New Zealand Society of Head and Neck Surgery, the American Head and Neck Surgery Society and the Laryngological Society of Australia.

Carolyn is the Principal of her own consulting business Auxilium Advisory.  She has extensive experience in policy advising, regulation and leadership after 30 years in the Australian Public Service.  She now specialises in the provision of high-level strategic advice on policy, regulation and program design in aged care and health. She was a Senior Adviser to the Royal Commission on Aged Care Quality and Safety from November 2018 to February 2020. She is a Board member of Palliative Care ACT and Chair of the sub-committee advising the Board on establishment of a non clinical respite service for those with a life limiting illness.

In addition to her professional experience, Carolyn underwent treatment for throat cancer in 2019 and is able to contribute a lived experience to the Board. Carolyn lives in Canberra, ACT.

Puma is a radiation oncologist with clinical and research interests in head and neck cancers. Puma works for the Sydney West Cancer Network including Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals in NSW. She has particular interest in treatment related decision making by patients and clinicians, quality of life (QOL) and patient reported outcomes following cancer treatment and health services research.

Puma completed her medical training at Flinders University in Adelaide and worked at Concord and Royal Prince Alfred Hospitals in Sydney as a junior medical officer prior to embarking on specialist training in radiation oncology at Westmead Hospital. She subsequently undertook a postgraduate Fellowship in intracranial stereotactic radiosurgery at Sydney Radiosurgery in 2009. As one of the inaugural Dean’s Fellows of The University of Sydney, she then embarked on a clinician scientist pathway to complete a PhD while working as a clinician at the Department of Radiation Oncology at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. She was awarded the Withers & Peters Fellowship Prize, a NHMRC PhD scholarship and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QOL Fellowship in 2011.

Puma has since worked as the Deputy Director of Radiation Oncology at the Central Coast Cancer Centre and returned to Western Sydney in 2014 to join the Sydney West Radiation Oncology Network.  

Puma is a member of the Radiation Oncology Research Committee of the RANZCR, a Director on the Board of the Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group and a Member of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia. She is actively involved with teaching and research supervision of students at The University of Sydney and at Western Sydney University.  She is associate editor and reviewer for international peer reviewed journals and has authored a number of publications, book chapter and conference presentations.

A communications and project management professional with over 20 years of experience in health promotion. Since 2016 I have had the privilege of working with a passionate team of Head and Neck Cancer clinicians, patients, family members and carers to launch Beyond Five, the first Australian not-for-profit to provide education and support to people affected by Head and Neck Cancer.

Experienced in strategic planning and communications, stakeholder engagement, fundraising, project and operational management. I am passionate about collaborating with key stakeholders to provide evidence-based information and support to patients, carers and health care professionals, raising awareness of Head and Neck Cancer in Australia and advocating for Head and Neck Cancer to form part of the public sector funding and health policy agenda.