Board Members

The Board's members are drawn from across the cancer continuum — from primary preventions through treatment to palliative care.

This section provides information on the Board Members, the Board's terms of reference and key milestones in the development of the New Zealand Cancer Control Strategy.

Chair

Associate Professor Christopher Atkinson

Associate Professor Christopher Atkinson is an oncologist at the Canterbury District Health Board, where he was Head of Radiation Oncology (1984–2004) and Chair of the Oncology Service (1992–2004). He is Medical Director and a past President of the Cancer Society of New Zealand. He is also a former President of the New Zealand Society for Oncology. He was the inaugural President of TROG, an Australasian clinical trials group, and the inaugural Dean of the Faculty of Radiation Oncology of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists. He is the current Chair of Psycho-Oncology New Zealand and has been Associate Professor of Medicine at the Christchurch School of Medicine since 2000. Professor Atkinson has been closely involved in developing a cancer control strategy for New Zealand, holding the positions of chair and deputy chair of many of the committees, taskforces and working parties that developed the current Cancer Control Strategy.

Board Members

Ms Shelley Campbell

Ms Shelley Campbell was Chief Executive of Waikato Primary Health (2005 - 2009) and prior to that was a Midland Business Development Manager for Pinnacle Group Limited. Shelley has worked in paediatrics, Māori and community health across the health, education and social service sectors. She is Chair of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Taskforce, was a recipient of the Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leader Award in 2007 and a member of the New Zealand delegation to the World Health Assembly in 2008. Her qualifications include a certificate in Te Reo Māori and Adult Teaching from Waikato Polytechnic and a Bachelor of Social Work with Honours at Massey University.

Professor Brett Delahunt

Professor Brett Delahunt is Professor of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at the Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago - Wellington and Adjunct Professor of Biological Sciences at Victoria University of Wellington. He is a past President of the New Zealand Society of Pathologists (1996-2007), and has also served as President of the International Society of Urological Pathology (2007-2009,) and the Australasian Division of the International Academy of Pathology (2007-2009). He is currently a member of the WHO Tumour Classification Panel, Editor of the international journal Pathology and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Cancer Society of New Zealand. In 2009 he was appointed as one of two International Members of the College of American Pathologists Tumor Staging Panel. He was admitted to the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2004 and in 2009 was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australia for lifetime achievement in pathology.

Dr Kate Grundy

Dr Kate Grundy is a Consultant Physician in Palliative Medicine at Christchurch Hospital, Canterbury District Health Board (1999-present). She is a Clinical Senior Lecturer at Christchurch School of Medicine (University of Otago) and is the current Chair of the Palliative Care Council of New Zealand (since 2008). Dr Grundy completed a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Birmingham Medical School in the UK (1989) and in 1999 was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP). In 2000 she was awarded Fellowship of the Australasian Chapter of Palliative Medicine (AChPM). From 2006-2009 Dr Grundy was the President of the AChPM and until 2009 was the Palliative Medicine Representative on the New Zealand Medical Council. She is a member of the Christchurch Hospital Mortality Review Committee and regularly contributes to work conducted locally and nationally on issues relating to Palliative Care and End of Life Care.

Mr Dalton Kelly (Deputy Chairperson)

Mr Dalton Kelly (Deputy Chairperson), was appointed Chief Executive of the Cancer Society of New Zealand in September 2006. The Society is the leading non government organisation dedicated to reducing the incidence and impact of cancer and to ensuring the best cancer care for everyone in New Zealand. The organisation has a national office located in Wellington, six regional divisions and fifteen centres throughout the country. Dalton also chairs the Cancer NGO Association (CANGO) comprising Chief Executive representation from the Cancer Society, the Breast Cancer Foundation, the Child Cancer Foundation, the Blood and Leukaemia Foundation, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Hospice New Zealand, Beat Bowel Cancer Aotearoa and The New Zealand Gynaecological Cancer Foundation. For 25 years prior to his current appointment Dalton was the Managing Director of his own packaging company and earlier worked in senior management roles in National and International businesses. He has significant governance experience having been on the Board of Private and Governmental organisations. Dalton was awarded a Queen Service Medal in the 2006 Queens Birthday Honours for service to Hospice and Business.

Associate Professor Jonathan Koea

Jonathan Koea is a hepatobiliary surgeon and surgical oncologist who works in Auckland, New Zealand. He is a member of the Te Atiawa tribal Iwi and was educated in New Zealand before undertaking fellowships in surgical oncology and hepatobiliary surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York City. Jonathan is a member the New Zealand Cancer Registry Advisory Group, a ministerial appointment to the New Zealand Perioperative Mortality Review Committee and a member of the Executive of the Auckland Division of the Cancer Society of New Zealand. His research interests concentrate on the management of primary and secondary tumours of the liver, gall bladder and bile ducts as well as in service provision for indigenous peoples particularly oncology and related services. Jonathan is the author of over 100 publications and is a Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Auckland School of Medicine, where he is involved in undergraduate and post graduate teaching, as well as a Fellow of the University of Otago.

Professor David Lamb

Professor David Lamb has been a consultant radiation oncologist at the Wellington Cancer Centre since 1984, and in this capacity has held various leadership positions, including Head of Oncology and Head of Radiation Service. In the latter position, he advocated strongly for better resourcing of the radiation service, so more cancer patients could be treated in a timely fashion. In 1989, he was a founding member of the research organisation Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG). He convened the first meeting, and was Chair of the Scientific Committee for an extended period. He has had a leadership role in two large randomised trials investigating new treatments for prostate cancer. The second of these trials (RADAR) has been financially supported by the Health Research Council and the Cancer Society of New Zealand. In recognition of his research activities, he was appointed Associate Professor by the University of Otago, and more recently Professor by the University of Victoria. He has a long record of service to the community, which includes a 20-year association with the Cancer Society (past vice-President), a period on the inaugural Board of the Mary Potter Hospice, a leadership role in the Cancer Standards Institute (current Chair) and active participation in the Order of St Lazarus (Commander).

Dr Scott MacFarlane

Dr Scott Macfarlane is a Paediatric Oncologist at Starship Children's Hospital. Before this he was Medical Chief, then Clinical Leader at Starship from 1998-2003. Dr Macfarlane completed a Paediatric fellowship in haematology/oncology with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne in 1985 after earlier training in Auckland. Previously Dr Macfarlane was Clinical Director of Paediatrics at Waikato Hospital and President of the Australian and New Zealand Haematology Oncology Group. He has been continental president for Oceania and a member of the Board of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) and a trustee and Board Chairman of the Ronald McDonald House Auckland Trust. He is currently chair of the Paediatric Oncology Steering Group.

Mrs Catherine Smith

Mrs Catherine Smith is a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Canterbury District Health Board (2009-present). Before this she was a Registered Nurse in the Oncology Department at Canterbury District Health Board. Mrs Smith completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Hospice Palliative Care at Whitireia Community Polytechnic, a Graduate Certificate in Nursing Practice (Oncology) at Christchurch Polytechnic and Registered General and Obstetric Nurse training at Christchurch School of Nursing. She is currently Treasurer of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation National Cancer Nurses Committee.

Dr John Waldon

Dr John Waldon is a research advisor with a special interest in the rights, health and well being of children. He was a Research Officer at Massey University from 1994 until 2011. He was awarded an HRC post doctoral Fellowship in 2009 and a PhD in Maori Studies (2008). He currently holds an an academic position in the Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit, School of Public Health & Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine. University of New South Wales. John provides advice to NGOs on Maori health. In 2009 he was awarded a life membership of the Manawatu Centre of the Cancer Society of New Zealand. John is also a member of the Paediatric Society of New Zealand and the Public Health Association of New Zealand.