VICS Optimal Care Summits head and neck cancer consultation 2025
The VICS Optimal Care Summits program is holding a repeat consultation on head and neck cancer in 2025.
An expert advisory group will review progress in care and outcomes for Victorians affected by head and neck cancer since our first summit on this topic, in 2018. We will survey clinicians and other stakeholders across Victoria about barriers to and enablers of optimal care, and identify unwarranted variations in care and outcomes in Victoria.
At a live summit event on Friday 24 October 2025 [note change of date], multidisciplinary clinicians, consumers, and other stakeholders will codesign actions to address priority variations.
If you are involved in care or support for Victorians affected by head and neck cancer, or if you have been affected yourself, please fill in this quick form to be involved in the consultation.
The information you provide will be used only by the VICS Optimal Care Summits team for recruiting each expert advisory group, consultation, surveys, prioritising variations, prioritising improvements, and summit invitations.
VICS Optimal Care Summits
Expert advisory group
- Dr Alesha Thai (Co-chair) – Medical oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr David Rowe (Co-chair) – Ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon, Austin Health
- Dr Muhammad Alamgeer – Medical oncologist, Monash Health
- Andrea Bock – Nurse unit manager (NUM), Oncology and Day Service Unit, Mildura Base Public Hospital
- Dr Michael Borschmann – Director of Otolaryngology, Barwon Health / Visiting medical officer, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne
- Kat Brown – Head and Neck Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC), Royal Melbourne Hospital
- A/Prof. Sidney Davis – Radiation Oncologist, Alfred Health
- Melissa Ford – Senior speech pathologist, Austin Health
- Dr Tsien Fua – Radiation oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr Gregory Gaughran – Medical oncologist, Barwon Health & Eastern Health / Cancer genomicist, Omico
- Carolyn Lasry – Dietitian, Latrobe Regional Health
- Dr Sweet Ping Ng – Radiation oncologist, Austin Health
- Catherine Pool – Cancer care coordinator, Goulburn Valley Health
- Kirsty Rowan – Senior clinical dietitian, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Mr Adnan Safdar – Head of Unit, ENT / Head & Neck Surgery, Monash Health
- Ms Ella Sexton – Senior clinical psychologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr Albert Tiong – Radiation oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr Johnathon Wake – Radiation oncologist, GenesisCare Albury.