Medical Advisory Board
The Medical Advisory Board (MAB) provides professional oversight, expertise and advice to Brain Tumour Support NZ . They work closely with our Board of Trustees to ensure information provided on our website is accurate and up-to-date. The MAB also plays an important role in setting the future direction of our work so that New Zealand brain tumour patients continue to receive the best available care and treatments.
Mr Andrew Parker - Neurosurgeon
MB BS (University of London), FRACS (Neurosurgery)
Andrew Parker is a Neurosurgeon based in Wellington. He studied medicine in East London and trained at a variety of institutions across the capital. He has a particular interest in surgery for brain tumours. Having missed out on a gap year as a student, he resolved instead to have a gap life. He arrived in New Zealand nearly 15 years ago and never looked back. Outside of the hospital, you are most likely to encounter him on a ski slope or a tramp. His enthusiasm for the outdoors even extends to the car he drives but his greatest joy comes from seeing his patients do well.
DR CATHERINE HAN - MEDICAL ONCOLOGIST
MB ChB Otago; FRACP
Dr Catherine Han is a New Zealand-trained medical oncologist with a special interest in brain cancers. She also specialises in gastrointestinal, breast, head and neck cancers and melanoma. She is passionate about cancer research, particularly in cancer molecular profiling and genomics which facilitate personalised cancer treatments, and neurological complications of cancer therapies.
In 2016, Catherine spent a year at Massachusetts General Hospital of Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, for cancer specialist training in brain and gastrointestinal cancers. She now works as a consultant medical oncologist at Auckland Oncology, a private oncology centre in Remuera, Auckland, In addition, she is appointed as a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland where she contributes to the Auckland Medical School and continues her research.
Catherine has a strong medical and scientific background and provides the highest standard of care with compassion, friendliness, and clear communication. She is a member of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO), Co-operative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology (COGNO), New Zealand Society for Oncology (NZSO) and Australasian Ocular Melanoma Alliance (AOMA).
dr Frank Saran - Radiation Oncologist
MD Frankfurt; Spec (Radiotherapy) Hessen, FRCR
Frank currently holds a position as senior Radiation Oncologist at Auckland City Hospital and Auckland Radiation Oncology. His ethos is to provide holistic and patient centred care in the context of up-to-date evidence based best practice. He is dedicated to improving outcomes for all patients requiring radiotherapy and his specific interests include innovative new cancer treatment techniques focusing on improving survival while minimising treatment related side effects. His areas of expertise are in the treatment of primary benign and malignant brain and spinal cord tumours, as well as secondary brain metastases.
Before moving to New Zealand in 2018, Frank was Head of the Neuro-Oncology Unit at the internationally leading Royal Marsden Hospital in London and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Cancer Research. He has been the chief or principle investigator of many clinical trials and has published over 120 peer reviewed research articles. He remains committed to fostering interdisciplinary clinical research and is a member of the Co-operative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology (COGNO).
Caroline Woon - Clinical Nurse Educator
Caroline, from the UK, has worked in neuroscience nursing for 17 years. She is passionate about providing quality patient care, and currently works as a nurse educator at Wellington Hospital. She strives to continually improve the patient experience and wants to ensure patients and their Whānau are given appropriate support when facing a difficult journey. She co-ordinates the national neuroscience nurses association, is the convenor for the Australasian Neuroscience Nurses Association, is on the editorial board for the Journal of Australasian Neuroscience and a peer reviewer for the British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing. She supports the work of the Brain Tumour Support New Zealand and is honoured to be on the medical advisory board.
dr Steve Delany - Medical oncologist
MB ChB Otago; FRACP; Dip of Av.Med
After graduating from Otago Medical School 1984, Steve specialised in respiratory medicine before discovering an interest in oncology and subsequently retraining. He has been working in Nelson as Consultant Physician since 1998. His specific interests in oncology are cerebral tumours, lung cancer and lymphoma. Steve also has an ongoing interest in palliative care, having been the Medical Director for 15 years until recently stepping down from that role. He has also recently become Head of Department in the newly formed Department of Oncology/Haematology at the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board.
Dr Simon John - Neurosurgeon
BHB MB ChB Auckland; FRACS
Simon is a neurosurgeon, with a sub speciality interest in paediatric neurosurgery and complex brain tumour surgery. Currently full time in the public system Simon is the clinical director of the South Island Neurosurgical Service, and also has governance roles in the Christchurch Hospital’s detection and response to deteriorating patients. He is actively involved with the trauma team, co-ordinating multi-disciplinary care of complex trauma patients, and helping to improve their journey through the hospital.
With an interest in education Simon is the New Zealand representative for the Neurosurgical society of Australasia’s Surgical Education and Training Board. He is also a regular teacher on the Asian-Australasian Advanced Course in Paediatric Neurosurgery.
dr Salina Iupati - Palliative care physician
MB ChB Otago; FRNZCGP; FAChPM
Salina is a Palliative Medicine Specialist currently working at Te Omanga Hospice, Lower Hutt, Wellington. She has been working in palliative care for over eight years, which includes three years of specialty training. Prior to her specialty training, Salina worked as a general practitioner for ten years. Having worked as a palliative care specialist and a GP gives Salina a breadth of experience in supporting patients with brain tumours in the community, from first diagnosis to terminal care. She is currently studying towards a PhD in community specialist palliative care service delivery.
dr Clinton Turner - pathologist
MB ChB Otago; FRCPA
Clinton is a pathologist at Auckland Hospital. He has a subspecialty interest in neuropathology and is the lead pathologist for adult neuropathology at Auckland Hospital. He also reports cases donated to the Human Brain Bank at the University of Auckland. Clinton has a particular interest in the evolving molecular classification of brain tumours and how this can be developed in New Zealand. He is undertaking a PhD at the University of Auckland on meningioma.
Dr Melissa James - Radiation Oncologist
MB BS New South Wales; FRANZCR
Melissa is a radiation oncologist practicing in Christchurch since 2008, having completed her RANZCR fellowship training in Australia and New Zealand. Melissa has an interest in radiation treatment for brain, breast and skin cancers. She has recently been involved with setting up a stereotactic treatment programme for brain metastases in Christchurch. Melissa is a clinical lecturer at the Otago University and a member of American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), European Society for Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) and Co-operative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology (COGNO).