INVITED SPEAKERS
Dr. Georgina Casswell
Clinical Oncology Consultant, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston
Dr. Casswell was appointed as a consultant clinical oncologist at University Hospitals Bristol & Weston NHS Foundation Trust in 2020, specialising in head and neck cancer and skull base tumours, including the use of gamma knife radiosurgical treatment. She completed her oncology training in Bristol, Completing a clinical fellowships at the Peter MacCallum hospital, Melbourne, Australia, where she focused on head and neck radiotherapy and gathering patient reported outcome measures on outcomes for survivors with HPV positive oropharyngeal cancer with a focus on quality of life and sexual function. She qualified from Birmingham university with 1st class honours Medical degree. She move to South West for most of her training with some time spent in Australia prior to core medical training and subsequently clinical oncology training.
Dr. Steve Colley
Consultant Head & Neck Radiologist, University Hospital Birmingham
Dr. Margaret Coffey
Honorary Clinical Research Fellow, Department of Surgery & Cancer - Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London
Dr. Margaret Coffey is a Clinical Academic Speech and Language Therapist with extensive experience in the evaluation and treatment of dysphagia. Margaret has developed her clinical skills working in recognised centres of excellence in both the UK and the USA. She currently works at Imperial College Healthcare Trust in London, UK and is an honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at Imperial College London, UK. Margaret is a Royal College of Speech and language Therapists designated national clinical advisor.
Margaret is especially interested in the evidence based use of instrumental swallow evaluation tools including FEES to evaluate and manage swallowing function after head and neck cancer. She was one of the first SLTs in the UK to be awarded a prestigious National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Doctoral Fellowship pioneering the use of FEES as a swallow evaluation tool for people with laryngectomy. Margaret was also one of the first SLTs to be awarded a NIHR Advanced Fellowship to continue her post-doctoral work on an early stage clinical trial investigating the feasibility of an exercise based intervention to improve swallow function for people with laryngectomy.
Margaret has published in leading peer reviewed journals and regularly provides teaching and organises courses aimed at promoting evidence based clinical care. She has contributed to national clinical guidance including the RCSLT FEES and HRM position papers and competency frameworks and the UK Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer guidelines.
Margaret was recognised by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) with a fellowship in 2021. Margaret was also awarded an honorary MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2022 for services to Speech and Language Therapy.
Prof. Camilla Dawson
Consultant Speech and Language Therapist, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham
Professor Dawson is a Consultant Speech and Language Therapist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, a professional advisor for the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and clinical lead for NHS England’s ‘Get it Right First Time for head and neck cancer’.
Camilla undertook her doctoral studies at the University of Southampton, exploring optimising functional outcomes following head and neck surgery. Her post-doctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver investigated the impact of surgically altered airways on swallow physiology. She works clinically for the majority of her time rehabilitating patients with head and neck cancer and surgically altered airways in intensive care. Camilla’s clinical work and research focuses on adults with dysphagia and upper airway pathology, exploring a range of subjects from swallow physiology to the individual’s perception and experience of their dysphagia.
Barbara Fountain
Barbara Fountain is the CEO & Founder of Young Tongues, a global support network for tongue cancer patients diagnosed aged 18–64. Diagnosed herself with tongue cancer at 32, she brings a deeply personal perspective that goes beyond traditional healthcare data.
What began as an informal network is now a registered charity supporting over 900 patients worldwide, combating isolation and empowering individuals through shared experience. Young Tongues also bridges the gap between patients and healthcare professionals, using community insights to shape awareness campaigns and educational resources.
Barbara shares key perspectives from the Young Tongues community, highlighting the unique challenges young tongue cancer patients face and the support they need.
Dr. Ralph Gilbert
Professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of Toronto
Prof. Paweł Golusiński
Professor and Chair, Department of Otolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Zielona Gora
Prof. Pawel Golusinski M.D. Ph.D graduated from University of Medical Sciences in Poznan Poland and finished residency program in otolaryngology at City Hospital in Poznan. He received specialized training in head and neck surgical oncology at Greater Poland Cancer Center and later joined the Department of Head and Neck Surgery Faculty. In 2018 he became a professor and chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery at University of Zielona Gora.
He received PhD at the University of Medical Sciences in Poznan and Associate Professorship at Medical University of Silesia in Katowice Poland.
He has completed a research fellowship in section of Tumor Biology of Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery VU Medical Center in Amsterdam and clinical fellowship in Advanced Head and Neck Oncology at Queen Elisabeth University Hospital in Birmingham, UK.
His main research interests involve the role of HPV infection in head and cancer and the novel biomarkers for cancer development and prognosis and minimally invasive surgical techniques in transoral surgery. He is constantly involved in international scientific and clinical projects related to head and neck cancer. He co-authored numerous peer-reviewed papers.
Prof. Wojciech Golusiński
ENT Surgeon and Researcher, Head of the Department of Head and Neck Surgery and Laryngological Oncology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences
A highly accomplished ENT surgeon and researcher, Wojciech Golusiński M.D. is renowned for his expertise in head and neck cancer treatment. With extensive experience at the Medical University of Poznan and Greater Poland Cancer Centre, he has authored numerous publications, focusing on prevention, HPV infection, and surgical innovations. As Board Member and past President of the European Head and Neck Society, he has significantly contributed to the field, especially through the Make Sense Campaign of the EHNS. Professor Wojciech Golusiński is the initiator, content and organisational creator of the National Head and Neck Cancer Prevention Programme. He is the driving force for raising awareness and recognition of head and neck cancers in Poland. In 2016 he was appointed by the Ministry of Health as an expert on head and neck cancer. He is the founder and president of the Polish Head and Neck Society. He is also the promoter of more than 15 doctoral dissertations.
Prof. Kevin J. Harrington
Professor in Biological Cancer Therapies, Institute of Cancer Research
Kevin Harrington is an NIHR Senior Investigator and Head of the Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR)/Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH). He is the Co-Director for the ICR/RM CRUK RadNet Centre of Excellence.
His research interests include immunotherapy, targeted radiation sensitisers and oncolytic virotherapy and related directly-injected agents. He has led a number of clinical trials of immunotherapies, from first-in-human through to phase III registrational studies. His research group focuses on radiosensitisation through ATR inhibition, innate, STING-mediated immune agonism and herpes viruses as oncolytic immunotherapies. He currently holds two CRUK programme grants in support of this work. He received the 2019 British Association of Head and Neck Oncology President’s Achievement Award and was the 2021 Semon Lecturer (Royal Society of Medicine), the 2023 Elia Lecturer (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and University of Toronto), the 2024 Tata Orator (Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata) and delivered the 2025 R.M. Tiwari Oration at FHNO, Bangalore. He was awarded the IFHNOS Order of Merit in 2025.
He has published 678 peer-reviewed publications and 55 book chapters. He was listed as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Dr. Sarah Hargreaves
Consultant Clinical Oncologist, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
Dr. Sarah Hargreaves was appointed Consultant Clinical Oncologist at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust in October 2021, specialising in Head and Neck and HPB cancers.
Prior to taking a consultant post, Sarah completed a 3-year Clinical Research Fellowship at Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff, and was involved in setting up the PEARL study, looking at biological response based adaptive radiotherapy in HPV positive OPSCC. Sarah was awarded an MD at Cardiff University in 2023.
Sarah graduated from Oxford University with a First-Class Honours degree in Physiological Sciences before completing her undergraduate medical degree at Guy’s, Kings and St Thomas’s Medical School, London. She remained in London for most of her training, interspersing it with jobs in New Zealand and Tanzania, before moving to Bristol for the final three years of her Clinical Oncology training.
Sarah is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Bristol University. She is Oncology lead for the Head and Neck 5000 study. Her research interests include head and neck palliative radiotherapy, long term radiotoxicity and patient reported outcomes, and the improvement in equity of access to clinical studies. She lives in Bristol with her husband and two young sons.
Dr. Rebecca Igbokwe
Consultant in Clinical Genetics, West Midlands Clinical Genetics
Prof. René Leemans
Chair of Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Center
Professor C. René Leemans, MD, PhD is chair of the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at the Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam. He is Director of the Advanced Fellowship Program in Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology at the VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam. His special interests include head and neck oncology, reconstructive and microvascular surgery, and basic research.
René Leemans has made a sustained and internationally recognised contribution to cancer care and research in the field of head and neck oncology over the past decades. His scientific standing has been recognised by election as President of the Netherlands Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and the Dutch and European Head and Neck Societies. He also serves on the Leadership of the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS).
He (co-)authored more than 500 papers and book chapters on head and neck oncology and is regularly invited to speak at international conferences and tutor at courses. He was a travelling faculty member of 2010 Global CME program “Current Concepts in Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology” of the IFHNOS. In 2022 he was awarded the Eugene N. Myers, MD International Lecture on Head and Neck Cancer at the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Meeting in Philadelphia. He leads the impactful Make Sense Awareness Campaign.
Dr. Robert Metcalf
Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Jillian MacLean
Consultant Clinical Oncologist Velindre, Velindre University NHS Trust
Nazrana Munsif
Speech And Language Therapist, University Hositals Birmingham
Sat Parmar
Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial / Head and Neck / Reconstructive Surgeon, University Hospital Birmingham
Prof. Jo Patterson
Professor of Speech & Language Therapy, University of Liverpool
Professor Jo Patterson is the Chair of Speech & Language Therapy and Vice Dean for Research at School of Allied Healthcare Professionals and Nursing, University of Liverpool, UK.
Jo leads the ‘Living Well with Head and Neck Cancer’ theme for the Liverpool Head and Neck Centre. Living Well With Head and Neck Cancer Research Group | Liverpool Head & Neck Centre We host national, and international clinicians and academics, from pre-doctoral to early career researchers, supported by senior academics and the Patient Research Forum. Our research programme includes holistic prehabilitation, enhanced recovery, psychosocial adjustment and support models, outcome measure development and novel swallowing intervention development. Jo has published over 200 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. She is a NIHR Senior Investigator, a Fellow and Professional Advisor for RCSLT; is the SLT representative on NIHR ENT national group, providing strategic direction for Allied Healthcare Professionals’ research in ENT practice.
Prof. Nadia Schoenmakers
Professor of Endocrinology, University of Birmingham
Clare Schilling
Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, University College London Hospitals
Ms Clare Schilling is Associate Professor and Head of Centre of
the Head and Neck Academic Centre (HNAC) in the Division of Surgical and Interventional
Sciences at University College London https://www.ucl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/divisions/surgery/research/head-and-neck.
She is an Honorary Consultant Head and Neck and Reconstructive surgeon
(OMFS) at University College Hospital London.
She completed OMFS specialist training including
a Head and Neck fellowship the UK as well as a clinical research PhD in novel
imaging techniques for detection of metastasis in head and neck cancer.
She is Chief Investigator of NIHR funded
multicentre trial, “LOOC”, for lymphatic mapping of oropharyngeal cancers. She
is co-director of Headstart, the Royal College of Surgeons accredited national
training program for sentinel node biopsy in oral cancer. Her research and
clinical interests include fluorescence guided surgery, augmented reality
surgery and quality outcome measures.
Dr. Freya Sparks
Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist for Head and Neck Cancer, Barts Health NHS Trust. Honorary Research Fellow, City St George's, University of London
Freya Sparks is the Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist in Head and Neck cancer / ENT and OMFS at Barts Health NHS Trust and an honorary research fellow at City St George’s, University of London. Freya’s research focusses on communication rehabilitation after laryngectomy, and the use of simulation and augmented reality in altered airway clinical training. Freya works regularly with people with laryngectomy in clinical practice and provides training to multidisciplinary healthcare professions on laryngectomy rehabilitation. Freya has contributed to Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists clinical guidelines and has published her research outputs in peer-reviewed journals
Dr. John Speakman
Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
Originally from Liverpool, Dr. John Speakman trained here in Birmingham and graduated in 1990.
Initially he worked in General Practice before finding his true self and vocation by working in hospice care. He has had a varied career ranging from hospice medical director to police forensic medical examiner.
In the 26 years Dr. Speakman has been working in Palliative Medicine, it has changed enormously in response to advances in cancer care and the recognition that people with advanced life limiting conditions other than cancer need and deserve good palliative care too .
He has worked at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham as a Consultant in Palliative Medicine since 2006 – much of that time single handed. Fortunately, Dr. Speakman is now supported by additional Consultant colleagues in his team, and feels blessed to work with some truly brilliant colleagues across the Trust .
Dr. Speakman has contributed to national and international research studies in cancer pain and ceilings of treatment / DNACPR and led on the Trust development of bespoke electronic templates for both which were among the first in the UK .
He is now the Clinical Service Lead for the ‘ Supportive and Palliative Care Team ‘ across our 4 hospital sites . As the Acute Trust Lead, Dr. Speakman works closely with local ICS around palliative and end of life care for a population of 1.2 million people .
Allison Waghorn
Consultant Endocrine Surgeon, Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust
Laura Warner
Consultant ENT Surgeon, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals
Jo Wheeler
Speech & Langauge Therapist, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
Jo is a Clinical Specialist Speech & Language Therapist at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham where she has worked for the past 16 years. She leads the Surgical voice restoration (SVR) service for patients who have undergone laryngectomy surgery and jointly runs the SLT led videofluoroscopy and FEES services. She is passionate about education and development. Rapid development of clinical pathways, with constant evaluation and adaptation are key elements of Jo’s role. People with head and neck cancer are central to all Jo’s work, and feature in all components of service development, delivery and evaluation.
As part of the organisation of this conference, The University of Birmingham is collecting income via registration fees and sponsorships on behalf of the European Head and Neck Course 2025 organising committee.
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