Council Members 2023

Ceri Hughes President

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon with a specialist interest in Head & Neck cancer including thyroid disease.

Trained predominantly in South West of England with a one year fellowship at Sydney Head & Neck Cancer Institute under the auspices of the late professor Chris O’Brien.

Has been involved in the centralisation of Head & Neck services within Bristol.

Vinidh Paleri Immediate Past President

Professor Vinidh Paleri is Consultant Head and Neck Surgeon at The Royal Marsden Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Professor of Robotic and Endoscopic Head and Neck Surgery, Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Honorary Professor of Head and neck Surgery at Newcastle University. Vin is also the Director of the newly created International Centre for Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer.

Vin has accrued the largest experience in Transoral Robotic Surgery in the UK. He has pioneered a new robotic technique to remove radiorecurrent and radioresidual cancers and is the first surgeon in the UK to perform robotic free flap reconstructions.

He is the primary or co-recipient for over £5 million in grant funding, has published over 190 papers, and has edited the following works: fourth and fifth editions of the UK National Head and Neck Cancer Multidisciplinary Management Guidelines, and "Head and Neck Disease" volume for the 8th edition of Scott-Brown's Otolaryngology, the leading multi-volume multi-author textbook in the specialty in the world. He is also chief editor for the forthcoming 6th edition of Stell & Maran's Textbook of Head & Neck Surgery and Oncology. He currently serves on the following national bodies: ENT-UK Head & Neck Society, and Laryngology & Rhinology Section of the Royal Society of Medicine. He is an Associate Editor for Head and Neck, the top ranked journal in the field, and Trustee for the Oracle Cancer Trust.

David Hamilton Honorary Treasurer

David (known as “Winnie) is a consultant ENT, head, neck and thyroid surgeon at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

His clinical work centres on developing safe processes of care, reducing inequality and developing the roles of Allied Healthcare Professionals and trainee surgeons. His research is currently funded by the MRC and NIHR Clinical Academic Research Partnership and he is running the Laryngeal Cancer Cohort (LARCH).

His research interests are broad but his main focus is on optimising patient centred outcomes in head and neck cancer. He has expertise in shared decision making and informed consent and co-led the development of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh “Informed Consent: Sharing the Decision” ICONS course. He is also the secretary of BOARS (British Otolaryngological and Allied Science Research Society) which aims to champion and promote research in the ENT community. He has been lead or co applicant on over £3 million in public and commercial research funding.

Andrew Schache Honorary Administrative Secretary

Andrew is a Clinical Academic Head & Neck Surgeon (OMFS) based in the Liverpool Head & Neck Centre (LHNC).

His academic interests are broad and cover both HPV positive and negative Head & Neck malignancy, with a focus towards development and delivery clinical trials. He is an active member of both the NCRI H&N Clinical Group and its surgery and localised therapies (S<) subgroup. He is also a young investigator on the EORTC H&N group.
Andrew is the lead for education within the LHNC, a remit which spans undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate education in Head & Neck surgery and more broadly in OMFS.

His clinical practice covers both ablative & reconstructive H&N surgery including providing support for the reconstructive component of the regional skull base service. He contributes to the Sentinel Lymph Node service at Aintree Hospital and has a clinical interest in expanding assessment and/or use of surgical technology.

Stuart Winter Honorary Conference Secretary

Consultant Ear Nose and Throat Surgeon, Oxford. Senior Lecturer, University of Oxford.

Current positions: BAHNO – Chair Guidelines and Protocols Committee ENT-UK Head and Neck Council National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI), Head and Neck Clinical Studies Group Oxford Head and Neck Surgical lead

Previous positions: NICE: Updating Cancer of the upper aero digestive tract: assessment and management in people aged 16 and over (NG36). Guidance development group

Michael Nugent OMFS rep

I’m a Maxillofacial surgeon based at Sunderland Royal Hospital.

I studied Dentistry in Liverpool then Medicine in Manchester. My surgical training started in the Northwest rotation before transferring to the Nothern Deanery. I completed a TIG Head and Neck fellowship in Newcastle and Sunderland prior to starting as a consultant.

I have an interest in reconstruction and research. I’m currently CI for the Litefrom trial.

Clare Schilling OMFS rep

Ms Schilling is an Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon and Honorary Associate Professor of the Head and Neck Academic Centre (HNAC) in the division of surgical and interventional sciences at University College London.

She completed OMFS specialist training including oncology fellowship the UK as well as a clinical research PhD in novel imaging techniques for detection of metastasis in head and neck cancer.

She is co-director of HEADSTART, the Royal College of Surgeons accredited national training program for sentinel node biopsy in Oral Cancer and Chief Investigator of NIHR funded multicentre trial, “LOOC”, for lymphatic mapping of oropharyngeal cancers. Her research and clinical interests include fluorescence guided surgery, augmented reality surgery and quality outcome measures.

Hannah Fox ENT rep

Hannah Fox is an ENT Consultant in Newcastle upon Tyne with a specialist practice in head & neck oncology surgery and thyroid surgery. She is proud to hail from the Welsh valleys. She completed her specialist training in Wales and aTIG interface fellowship in Newcastle prior to commencing her consultant practice. Since 2019 she has been the clinical lead for the Northern head & neck MDT. Her clinical practice involves the full remit of head & neck surgery including transoral robotic/laser surgery, laryngeal reinnervation, thyroid surgery and thyroid ablation.

She has an interest in education and training having completed a postgraduate diploma in medical education. She was a founder member of the BAHNO education committee, regional STC member and member of both the head and neck TIG and Interface Training Oversight Group committees at RCS England. She currently leads several courses at the Newcastle Surgical Training Centre.

She is an advocate for authentic open dialogue on mental health impact and support for surgeons. She is a proud mam to Lyra and they can often be found swimming in the North Sea together no matter the weather.

Paul Nankivell ENT rep

Sinclair Gore Plastic Surgery rep

Sinclair Gore is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon based in Oxford, UK. After graduating from Cambridge University he trained in Plastic Surgery in Sydney, London & East Anglia with numerous visits to specialists in Europe and North America. Thereafter he completed four specialist fellowships in reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgery including an international head & neck surgery fellowship in Sydney, Australia. His NHS practice has a specialist focus on Head & Neck cancer surgery and complex facial reconstruction including nasal reconstruction and partial laryngeal reconstruction.

He has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and as well as a Masters degree (MD) in skin cancer molecular biology, he has completed postgraduate diplomas in aesthetic surgery and medical education. His current research interests include the role of sentinel node biopsy in melanoma, functional outcomes in complex H&N reconstruction and aesthetic outcomes in reconstructive rhinoplasty.

Ben Rymer Plastic Surgery rep

Ben Rymer is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon with a specialist interest in Head and Neck Cancer and Reconstruction, based at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

Following Medical School at Southampton University, he undertook training in Plastic Surgery in Birmingham, Exeter, Plymouth and Bristol. He completed a TIG fellowship in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, where he benefitted from true interface training with Maxillofacial and ENT colleagues.

His specialist focus is Head and Neck reconstruction, including all subsites, with a particular interest in mandibular reconstruction and methods for improving functional outcomes. He also manages complex facial skin cancer, including regional spread, and co-provides the full array of facial palsy services to the region

Mehmet Sen Oncology rep

Dr Mehmet Sen completed his medical school training in Izmir and specialist training in radiation oncology in Istanbul, Turkey. He later subspecialised in head and neck cancer and set up a multidisciplinary academic unit in 1991 in Dokuz Eylul University Medical School. He was appointed as Professor of radiation oncology in 2001and was clinical lead for the head and neck cancer unit until he left his post.

He chaired the Turkish Oncology head and neck cancer studies group between 2001 -2003 and also contributed to ESTRO teaching courses as a teacher in the Evidence Based Oncology course between1999-2004.

He moved to the UK in 2004 joining Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust as a Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Honorary senior lecturer and was the lead for the nonsurgical head and neck team (2008-2019).

He contributed to the NCRI head and neck clinical studies group as a member (2006-2015) and then chair of the systemic treatments and radiotherapy subgroup (2006-2011). During this time notable achievements included establishing links between national and international research groups and chaired the EORTC Head and Neck - radiotherapy subgroup (2011-2015)

His research interest includes improving outcomes by combined treatments and evaluation of recurrence patterns. He is currently contributing to on-going national randomised clinical trials as local PI, National lead, TMG member and safety chair. He is chair of the steering committee of the annual York head and neck cancer one day educational event. He became chair of BAHNO International committee in 2019.

Claire Paterson Oncology rep

Dr Claire Paterson is an NHS consultant clinical oncologist in head and neck cancers at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow and honorary senior lecturer, University of Glasgow. She holds a NHS Research Scotland (NRS) Senior Fellowship. She is a leads clinical research in head and neck cancer in the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) RadNet Glasgow Centre. These roles have enabled her to develop and deliver clinical studies in head and neck cancer as well as contribute to several multi-centre studies as local principal investigator or UK chief investigator.

Dr Paterson serves on the West of Scotland Managed Clinical Network advisory board for head & neck cancers and is an active member of the NCRI head and neck surgery and localised therapy sub-group. She has published several peer reviewed papers and is currently undertaking a research MD evaluating the use of diffusion weighted MRI as a predictive biomarker of response to radiotherapy in poor prognosis oropharyngeal cancer.

Adam Jones Pathology rep

Lorna MacNab Restorative Dentisty rep

Lorna MacNab is a Consultant and Honorary Clinical Senior lecturer in Restorative Dentistry at Glasgow Dental Hospital and School. She is the secretary and Head and Neck Cancer Clinical Excellence Network lead for RD- UK (The Association of Consultants and Specialists in Restorative Dentistry). Her main interest is oral rehabilitation for Head and Neck Cancer patients. She has worked with Head and Neck Cancer MDTs at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, The Royal Marsden, Guy’s and St Thomas’ and Northwick Park Hospitals in London and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. She led the development of the first national oral rehabilitation guideline for Head and Neck Cancer; ‘Predicting and Managing Oral and Dental Complications of Surgical and Non-Surgical Treatment for Head and Neck Cancer.’ She is past President of the British Society of Prosthodontics. She has published and presented research both in the UK and abroad. She wrote the Restorative Dentistry chapters in the 5^th and 6^th editions of the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Dentistry and is actively involved in Postgraduate and Undergraduate teaching and training.

Ashleigh Ivy Associate Members' rep

Justin Roe AHP rep

1. Consultant/ Joint Head – Department of Speech and Language Therapy: The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

2. Clinical Service Lead (Airways/ Complex ENT): Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

3. NIHR Imperial BRC/ Imperial Health Charity Post-Doctoral Fellow: Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London

Justin is a clinical-academic and service lead, specialising in dysphagia in benign and malignant head and neck disorders. He is the Clinical Service Lead at the National Centre for Airway Reconstruction/ ENT Service at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Consultant Speech and Language Therapist/ Joint Head of Service at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. His academic base is at the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London.

Justin completed his first degree, majoring in psychology, in 1993. He qualified as a speech and language therapist in 1999 from City University, London. He was awarded his MSc in dysphagia research with distinction from Newcastle University in 2015 and his PhD from the Institute of Cancer Research in 2013.

In 2019, Justin commenced a post-doctoral research fellowship awarded by the Imperial Health Charity and Imperial NIHR Biomedical Research Centre. He has published a number of peer-reviewed papers on head and neck cancer, lung cancer, palliative care, airway stenosis, co-design and ethics and spoken at scientific meetings and conferences internationally. Justin is a Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) Specialist Advisor for head and neck cancer and palliative care. In 2019, he was elected as a member of the Council of the British Association of Head and Neck Oncologists. He was made a Fellow of the RCSLT in 2018.

Florence Cook AHP rep

Florence underwent her dietetic training at the University of Nottingham, where she graduated in 2013. She is currently completing her MSc in Clinical Nutrition at University College London.

Florence has worked as a Head & Neck Dietitian at University College London Hospital for the last 5 years and she sits on the British Dietetic Association Head & Neck Oncology sub-group committee.

Florence’s research interests lie in decision making for enteral feeding in head and neck oncology service-users, including patients experiences with home enteral tube feeding. Florence is also interested in the impact of nutrition on body composition and treatment outcomes.

Somiah Siddiq EDI Officer

Jo Greedy BAHNON Representative

Chair BAHNON

Base: Taunton and Somerset Foundation Trust, Musgrove Park Hospital. Taunton.

Jo began her nursing career in 1994 within ent/ head and neck occupying a junior sister role for a few years before moving on to develop the first head and neck clinical nurse specialist role for Somerset in 2002. During this time, she has worked with patients through a trajectory of treatments including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and biological therapies and holds a joint MDT lead role with her lead clinician. In addition, she retains an occasional lecturer post with the University of West of England (UWE) delivering the post graduate head and neck cancer module coordinating a range of clinicians working within this field.

Jo has been an active member of South West Bahnon since 2002 and amalgamated her involvement and commitment to national level by joining Bahnon in 2016. This has enabled her to build and strengthen her service through networking, study and sharing good practice improving service delivery for those in her care. Jo has been vice chair for Bahnon for the last year and takes up the role of chair from Marie Smith in March 2020.