2023 Head & Neck Cancer Conference Guide Book

2023 Speakers
The International Head & Neck Cancer Conference is delighted to welcome a range of
health professionals, patients and carers from around the world to take part in seminars and
keynote sessions to dive into the latest and most interesting topics from the last 12 months.
Tommy Walsh
TV Presenter/DIY Expert
DAY 1
Philip Reece
MBBS, FRCS (ORL-HNS), BSc
DAY 1 & DAY 2
Tommy is best known for his presenting role in Ground Force alongside Charlie and Alan.
Educated at Parmiter’s School, then a grammar school in Bethnal Green, Walsh became a builder
and first came to public attention after appearing in the BBC television gardening programme
Ground Force. He stayed with the show for the rest of its run, from 1997 to 2005.
ENT/Head & Neck Consultant
& 2023 Conference President
After leaving school Philip studied medicine at University College London, qualifying in 1992. In the
middle of this he undertook an intercalated BSc in Cellular pathology. Philip was attracted to ENT
Surgery while a medical student and his postgraduate training involved jobs at the Royal Marsden,
Great Ormond Street, Royal Throat, Noise and Ear, St Mary’s and Addenbrookes Hospitals. The bulk
of Philip’s senior surgical training was at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford. At the end of his training
he spent time in Tanzania and then completed a Fellowship in Head and Neck Surgery at the
Royal Brisbane Hospital in Australia.
In 2007 he returned to the United Kingdom to take up his post as ENT/Head & Neck Consultant
at Torbay Hospital in South Devon. Philip has been active in training surgeons of the future as an
Assigned Educational Supervisor for the Royal College of Surgeons, and he is the South Devon
“Ambassador” for the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD)
and the Head and Neck Cancer Lead for South Devon. Philip and his team were the first surgeons
in the UK to perform Trans Oral Robotic Surgery (TORS) for cancer and today continue to innovate
cancer treatment including laser and advanced airway surgery. On a personal level his wife and
Philip are raising four children and umpteen animals. He would like to list all his hobbies, but he
has four children and umpteen animals!
Fahida Rehman
Lead Head & Neck/Thyroid Cancer Clinical
Nurse Specialist Swallows Head & Neck
Cancer Charity Patron
DAY 2
Fahida is the Lead H&N Cancer Specialist Nurse at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust,
providing holistic care for cancer patients undergoing investigation and treatment throughout their
entire patient pathway, maintaining a high standard of person-centred care through clinical expertise.
As a result of collaborative work with The Swallows Charity, she was instrumental in pioneering the
region’s first patient-led support group in the South-West, as well as developing a partnership and
direct linking with the Lowell General Hospital in Boston, USA. The aim being to twin and refine
best practice for both head and neck cancer service departments; this successfully resulted in the
continuing development of an equivalent role there.
She also has a passion for health inequalities, committed and dedicated to improving outcomes
for patients who are most vulnerable to cancer and its associated health disparities; most recently
reflected in being a member of the advisory panel for the Macmillan Torbay Equity Project, which
aims bridge the gap in cancer care and promote equitable access to treatment.
His hard landscaping and building knowledge and skills led him to go onto film Fix It Yourself” for
Discovery Real Time in 2010 and his series, “Fix Your House for Free” made in 2009 for Discovery
Real Time was another successful series. In 2007 Tommy and his team pushed their talent and
dexterity right to the edge, going beyond anything he has previously attempted on TV, with the
task of building a new home in 60 days for £60K. It was built in the most eco and cost-friendly
manner as possible, with construction materials which take into account eco benefits, cost,
availability and ease of use. Recently Tommy Walsh was back on our screens presenting “Homes
Under the Hammer” and “Clean It Fix It”.
His book DIY Survival on publication made it into the UK’s bestsellers list and he subsequently
published 4 project books; Kitchen DIY, Bathroom DIY, Outdoor DIY and Living Spaces DIY.
Tommy had a small acting role in the film “One”. He is Patron of the “Stairway to Heaven Memorial
Trust”, and is the subject of the song “Tommy Walsh’s Eco House” on the 2011 album 90 Bisodol
(Crimond) by the band Half Man Half Biscuit. He has also appeared on Lily Savage’s Blankety Blank
amongst other TV guest appearances.
Clinical instructor in otology and laryngology, Harvard Medical School
Assistant clinical professor in otolaryngology, Boston University School of Medicine
Board Certified – American Academy of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery
Board Certified – American Academy of Preventive Medicine
Dr. Lauretano is a head and neck cancer surgical oncologist from Boston Massachusetts. A
graduate of the Boston University Six-year Accelerated Medical Program, he trained at Harvard
Medical School/Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
He was a full-time academic surgeon at Harvard Medical School, including the Dana Farber
Cancer Institute, and then moved his cancer practice to the urban area of Lowell, Massachusetts.
There he established the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Center, which sees patients
from throughout the United States. Arthur is a proud International Patron of The Swallows.
Join the conversation
Use the 2023 hashtag on social media
Arthur M. Lauretano
MD, MS, FACS
DAY 2
Medical Director, Lowell General Hospital
Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Center
#HNCCONF2023
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