Speakers
International Speaker
Professor Tom John
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia
His translational research has focused on mesothelioma, with several important studies investigating antibody drug conjugates, antiapoptotics and, more recently genomic diversity and circulating tumour DNA in this disease. He is on faculty for the lung tumour track for the European Society of Medical Oncology, an associate editor for the Journal of Thoracic Oncology and, chair the Scientific Committee for the Thoracic Oncology Group of Australasia.
National Speakers
Dr Laird Cameron
Dr Cameron is a Medical Oncologist specialising in lung, mesothelioma and head & neck malignancies. Since completing a clinical fellowship at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre he has been treating patients with lung cancer at Auckland Hospital and Canopy Cancer Care. He leads the medical oncology lung team at Te Puriri o Te Ora in Auckland and is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland. Laird is the NZ representative for Thoracic Oncology Group Australasia (TOGA, formerly ALTG), chair of the New Zealand Lung Oncology Special Interest Group (NZ LOSIG) and vice president of NZ Society for Oncology.
Dr Hilary Cleland
Hilary is a Te Whatu Ora palliative medicine specialist working at the Nurse Maude Hospice and Specialist Palliative Care Service in Christchurch. Her clinical roles cover inpatient, community and residential care. Hilary was a GP for ten years prior to retraining in palliative care. She is passionate about caring for and supporting patients on their own terms, in their home environment.
Dr Paul Dawkins
Paul Dawkins is a Respiratory Physician at Middlemore Hospital and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Medicine at University of Auckland. He is current President of the NZ Branch of TSANZ and is a director on the main TSANZ Board. He sits on the TSANZ Lung Cancer Working Party and the TSANZ Lung Cancer Screening Clinical Practice Guideline group. He is clinical lead for lung cancer at Middlemore and is a member and past chair of the National Lung Cancer Working Group and Northern Cancer Network lung tumour stream. He is on the national planning group for the Aotearoa Lung Screening Programme. He worked for 6 years as a Respiratory Physician in West Midlands (UK) before leaving to work in New Zealand in 2013.
Danielle Duff
Danielle Duff is an Advanced Practice Radiation Therapist at Christchurch Hospital, New Zealand, specialising in palliative care and service development within radiation oncology. With a focus on improving access for lung cancer patients—particularly those in regional areas—Danielle leads innovative models of care, including ‘SIMLESSRT’, a streamlined radiotherapy pathway using diagnostic imaging.
She holds postgraduate qualifications in Adolescent and Young Adult Health and a Master’s degree in Palliative Advanced Radiotherapy Practice. Passionate about culturally responsive, patient-centred care, Danielle advocates for reimagining historic workforce models and constrained systems and is committed to building sustainable, collaborative solutions to improve palliative outcomes in lung cancer.
Belinda Egan
Belinda Egan RGON, PGDip Adv Nurs, RN Prescriber. Belinda is a Clinical Nurse Specialist working in Oncology and specialising particularly in lung cancer. She has nursed for over 40 years with her main focus being in Oncology, Research and Respiratory. In her current role she conducts nurse led treatment review and surveillance clinics with the main focus on patients receiving immunotherapy and targeted therapies. She is an active member of New Zealand Nursing organisation, Cancer Nurses College NZ , NZ LOSIG and Australia and New Zealand Lung cancer Nurse’s forum.
When not at work Belinda describes herself as an active relaxer who loves spending time with her 3 granddaughters.
Mark Ezegbogu
Mark is a Doctoral Candidate in the Chatterjee Laboratory at the University of Otago. His research aims to identify cell-free DNA (cfDNA) methylation signatures to improve lung cancer screening and early detection.
Dr Papillon Gustafson
Dr Papillon Gustafson is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Ngāi Tahu Māori Health Research Unit at the University of Otago. Her research focuses on improving health equity in Aotearoa New Zealand using implementation science approaches. She has recently joined Te Oranga Pūkahukahu lung cancer screening research programme to which she brings an implementation science perspective. Dr Gustafson has a background in basic science research (neuroendocrinology) and spent several years working in medical communications for a primary healthcare audience before returning to academic research.
Dr Chris Harrington
I trained as a radiation oncologist in Christchurch and have worked here since qualifying, except for a one year fellowship in Canada. My interest areas include head and neck, lung, skin, and paediatric / AYA cancers. When not at work I may be found attempting to tame the garden or enjoying New Zealand's great outdoors.
Di Keip
Di Keip MN, RN is the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) for thoracic malignancy in Hawkes Bay. She is one of the original CNS Cancer Coordinators which means she’s been in this job since 2013. She has a particular interest in communication skills acquisition in oncology, and whether resilience-enhancing programmes prevent mental health injury in the workplace.
Her background is palliative care nursing followed by 7 years in the DHB corporate office writing strategies and developing plans around managing many LTC. She rides her bike to work for exercise, runs for her mental health and does adventurous outdoor activity to amuse and entertain her three adult sons.
Dr Alice Loft
Dr Alice Loft is a Christchurch medical oncologist specialising in lung cancer. Her particular interests lie in service developments and innovations to narrow the equity gap, especially to improve outcomes for Māori & Pacific whānau. She is currently studying Te Reo Māori part time alongside her medical practice. Outside of oncology, Alice is an enthusiastic Crossfitter who competes internationally.
Professor Ross Lawrenson
Professor Lawrenson is Professor of Population Health and Director of Medicine at the University of Waikato. He is a Cancer epidemiologist with an interest in the impact of primary care on cancer outcomes.
Kim MacRae
Kim MacRae is a Project Manager in the Te Oranga Pūkahukahu / Lung Cancer Screening Research Programme, at Te Whatu Ora / Health NZ in Waitematā. She has a background as a pharmacist and gained a Masters in Public Health in 2013. Since then she has worked in a Primary Health Organisation as a practice liaison, and has had several roles in District Health Boards, working mainly in child and women’s health. Kim has been in the Te Oranga Pūkahukahu team for 18 months and has immensely enjoyed the switch to working in the lung cancer screening space .
Prof David McCormack
David J. McCormack is a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora Waikato and serves on the National Clinical Senior Leadership Team. He is the National Clinical Lead for Health Technology Management and the National Surgical Lead for the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Dr McCormack holds honorary professorships at the Universities of Waikato and Auckland.With extensive experience in complex cardiac procedures, Dr. McCormack has been pivotal in advancing surgical techniques, patient care, and team performance. He is the New Zealand National Director for the Cardiac Surgery Advanced Life Support Course and has led initiatives in post-operative care quality improvement.Dr. McCormack's work focuses on leadership in healthcare, team function, and health technology assessment. He is dedicated to fostering collaboration among multidisciplinary heart teams and contributing to the development of national clinical leadership and governance in structural heart disease.
Dr Cameron Sullivan
Cameron is a Respiratory Physician and Interventional Pulmonologist at Middlemore Hospital. He graduated from Imperial College School of Medicine in 2009 (MBBS/BSC) and completed his early post-graduate training in London, before moving to New Zealand.After finishing Respiratory Specialty training in Auckland (FRACP), he completed a Fellowship in Interventional Pulmonology at Macquarie University Hospital in Sydney and lectured at Macquarie University. Cameron is interested in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for lung cancer and chronic lung disease.
Becky Upston
Becky is a Clinical Nurse Specialist with over 20 years of expertise in the oncology field, having worked both in New Zealand and internationally. Currently, she is in a medical oncology outpatient role, where she leads nurse-led treatment reviews and follow-up appointments within the melanoma, lung, and colorectal tumour streams.
As a committed professional, Becky serves on the committee of the Cancer Nurses College and is an active member of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and the nursing skin cancer speciality interest group. She is dedicated to advancing her clinical practice by continually enhancing her knowledge of emerging therapies, ensuring optimal care for her patients.
The national speaker information will be updated on a regular basis. In the meantime, you can refer to the programme for more details.