Dr Keith Langmack (Chair) is Head of Radiotherapy Physics at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. He started his career in radiotherapy physics at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge in 1989 after completing his B.Sc. in physics in Durham (1982-85) and D.Phil. in molecular biophysics at Queen’s College, Oxford (1985-89). In Cambridge, he led the very active brachytherapy service and developed expertise in radiotherapy imaging and networking. He moved to Lincoln in 2000 as part of the team that commissioned the new department at Lincoln County Hospital. In 2002 he was appointed to the Head of Clinical Radiotherapy Physics at Nottingham. Here he continued to develop his expertise in radiotherapy networking and workflow. He became Head of Radiotherapy Physics in 2014. He is a Fellow of IPEM and a Charted Scientist. He has many scientific papers across diverse topics within radiotherapy. His current special interests are in the use of Artificial Intelligence in radiotherapy and optimising radiotherapy workflows.
Mike Kirby (Chair) is a Radiotherapy Physics lecturer at the University of Liverpool and a priest in the Church of England. His professional work started in 1988 at the Christie, Manchester and then Rosemere Cancer Centre, Preston as Principal/Consultant Physicist. He then was Head of RT Physics (Satellite Centres) for developing the Christie Satellites in Oldham and Salford. He has served on IPEM, BIR and multidisciplinary committees and co-authored/edited IPEM Reports 92, 93, 94 and ‘On Target’ (2008/2019). He is a task group member for the APPG-RT; an expert lecturer for the IAEA, supervises on the IPEM HSST programme and is a member of IPEM, AAPM, ASTRO, ESTRO and the BIR. Most recently, he’s published a textbook for RT students and trainees on On-Treatment Verification Imaging/IGRT for CRC Press and is a contributor to the update of ‘On Target’. He trained for the CofE at Westcott House/Cambridge University, was ordained in 2013 and has served in Blackburn, Chester and Liverpool Cathedrals, presently Chaplain at the latter.
Nikki Blackler is based at the Radiotherapy Physics Department at Plymouth NHS Hospital Trust, where she has worked as Head of Radiotherapy Treatment Planning for 12 years. Training as a Medical Physics Technician through the SW Training scheme she qualified in 1991 and joined the team at Plymouth to provide a range of Radiotherapy Physics (RTP) services. Enjoying the clinical patient involved from 1993 she took the lead role in the Mould room section as well as working across RTP. As her experience grew she focused on the treatment planning role and completed an MSc in Radiotherapy Studies in 2005, writing her dissertation on the clinical introduction of the Varian Analytical Anisotropic Algorithm (AAA).
Increasing interest in Professional issues lead to her becoming involved with the BIR as a member of the Special interest groups in 2011, where she has undertaken several committee roles until becoming Chair in 2016.
Scott Hanvey began working as a medical physicist in 2005 and completed his PhD in 2014 on using MRI to improve structural localisation in radiotherapy at the University of Glasgow. In his current role he is working as the Lead Radiotherapy Planning Physicist at the Radiotherapy Unit in Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust. Here he primarily provides medical physics support in radiotherapy planning.
Sheila Hassan is the Sanctioning Lead Radiographer at Guy’s andSt Thomas’ Foundation Trust and was President of the SCoR 2015-16. Sheila trained at Guy’s hospital in 1976-1978 and upon qualification worked at the then University College Hospital. Sheila left the profession to raise a family for 19 years and returned in 1999. She has been an active member of the SCoR since 2003 as a union rep and represents member’s interest on a range of Trust committees in relation to pay and conditions. More recently with her role on UK council she represents all members’ interests and is keen to raise the profile of radiographers in all suitable forums. Sheila has a passion for training and education and in her role in the Londonregion helps organise study days for radiographers.
Sam Tudor is Head of QC and Dosimetry in the Radiotherapy Physics section at University Hospitals Birmingham. He started his career at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where he helped support the Tomotherapy service while studying for a PhD in the effect of geometric uncertainties on treatment success. He has interests in the use of radiobiological modelling to inform the effect of geometric uncertainties and imaging strategies, as well as the dosimetry of complex, small or unflattened beams.
Helen Best and Úna Findlay (PHE) The radiotherapy team at PHE are an independent resource for the radiotherapy community with the goal of improving patient safety and efficiency in radiotherapy within the context of legislation. This involves the analysis of radiotherapy error and near miss events (RTE) and promulgation of learning across the community; the provision of independent on-site support to individual departments; work with professional bodies to provide guidance on good practice; the provision of support to inspectorates and Department of Health and liaison with UK professional bodies & international organisations. Helen Best is the editor of the radiotherapy newsletter “Safer Radiotherapy”, which disseminates learning from the analysis of RTE. Helen is an experienced therapy radiographer who joined the Health Protection Agency (HPA), in 2012. HPA merged into Public Health England (PHE) in April 2013, where the work of the radiotherapy team continues. Úna Findlay joined the HPA in 2007 as part of an initiative by the Chief Medical Officer to improve patient safety in radiotherapy. Úna is the current Chair of the Patient Safety in Radiotherapy Steering Group (PSRT) which is tasked with taking the key recommendations of Towards Safer Radiotherapy forward and an invited member of the Radiotherapy Board.
Shaista Hafeez is a medical doctor who graduated from Imperial College School of Medicine. She completed higher specialist training in Clinical Oncology in 2016 with the London Dearnery during which she pursued further clinical research interests, completing an MSc and subsequently a CRUK funded PhD at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research investigating advanced radiotherapy techniques and functional MRI to improve patient outcomes.
