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. 

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 former Head of Licensing & Professional Standards Scheme at the Law Society of New South Wales. Terrie was 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 Board following her cousin’s treatment for head and neck cancer.

Greg is the former 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. Greg lives in Newcastle, NSW.
 

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.