Our board and executive

CANCER CARE FOUNDATION – BOARD AND EXECUTIVE

The Board   
Tony Noun (Chairperson)
Peter Baker (Secretary)
Patricia Bastick
Michael Izard
David Palmieri
Patrick Woods

Director of Research
Paul de Souza

The Executive
Damien Williams

Tony Noun (Founder & Chairperson) MBA, AICD, FAIM, CFP, CIAM, A&CIPANZIP, DipLi, JP

Tony’s vision of accessible, affordable world-class cancer care close to home coupled with his passion for excellence-in-care and research led to the formation of the Cancer Care Foundation – dedicated to cancer research and to supporting cancer patients to access efficacious world’s-best-practice cancer care close to home.

Tony has been leading the Cancer Care Group since the early nineties and pioneered one of the first Private Public Partnerships at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney and the first Community Private partnership to establish the first comprehensive cancer care centre in regional Australia and campaigned for the establishment of the many regional cancer centres that followed.

Tony has more than 30 years’ professional and commercial experience with a proven track record of success; and is also an active director for a number of national and international companies that cover a broad range of industries and professional disciplines.

Tony’s extensive experience provides a strong platform to lead the Board and Management of the Foundation.

Peter Baker (Secretary) FAICD, MBA, MSc, BSc

Peter has over 30 years’ experience as a senior executive in a broad range of challenging situations including Director and Chairman experience. His background includes consulting and formulating and implementing strategy as well as hands-on M&A experience with both private and public acquisitions.

His track record includes roles with James Hardie Industries, as Executive Vice President of the Asia Pacific operations and chairman of the asbestos compensation arrangements. In these roles Peter was actively involved in government negotiations, media relations and investor relations.  Peter’s varied commercial experience enables him to bring extensive financial, strategic and corporate expertise to the Foundation.

Patricia Bastick FRACP, MBBS (Hons), BMedSci

Patricia is a Consultant Medical Oncologist at Southside Cancer Care Centre and works as a Senior Staff specialist at St George and Sutherland Hospitals. Her special interests include the treatment of breast and genitourinary cancers, including testis, prostate, bladder and kidney cancers, and hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndromes. She is a conjoint lecturer at the University of New South Wales and has always been involved in the training and education of junior doctors. She was a member of the Specialist Advisory Committee in Medical Oncology for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians for 4 years, and she was the director of Prevocational Education and training for many years. She is currently the supervisor for advanced trainees across St George and Sutherland Hospitals.

Following completion of basic physician training through the St George and Prince of Wales Hospital network in Sydney, Patricia spent 12 months as the
breast cancer fellow, and has 3 years’ experience working with the Hereditary Cancer Service performing Genetic Risk assessment of women and their families who were at a high risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

Patricia is also a director of St George Oncology Associates where she provides consultations and inpatient care at St George Private Hospital. She sits on the Medical Advisory Committee for BEAT Bladder Cancer Australia and sits as a member for national online bladder cancer forums.

Michael Izard MBBS (Lon), FRANZCR, MMedHum

Michael is a Radiation Oncologist and Medical Director at the Northern Beaches Cancer Care Centre. Michael holds a Clinical Associate Professor role at Sydney University. He is also the recipient of an Australian Defence Medal for his service within the Medical Corps of the Army Reserve.

He is a leader in high dose, focalised radiation therapy, including SRS and SBRT, with a focus on brain, lung and spinal cancers. Michael’s specialities include prostate cancer and breast cancer. Whilst at Macquarie University Hospital he started the first Australian Gamma Knife program as the lead Radiation Oncologist.

Michael consults at different Sydney hospitals, attending their multidisciplinary teams, and is actively involved in teaching at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. He was recognised as a founding member of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, is an invited member of the Specialist Medical Review Council of the Department of Veterans Affairs and has been invited to contribute with the NSW Government Cancer Institute EviQ practice guidelines. He previously sat with the Executive Committee of the Australasian Society of Breast Diseases.

David Palmieri MBBS, FRACP

David is a St Vincent’s and Westmead trained Medical Oncologist at the Riverina Cancer Care Centre. David’s special interests include the treatment of melanoma, thoracic and gastrointestinal malignancies and palliative care. He is a Conjoint Senior Lecturer at the University of New South Wales and participates in the teaching of medical students, junior medical officers and medical registrars.

David completed a clinical trials fellowship at Westmead Hospital where he worked with a team of leading clinician-researchers, including the group at the Melanoma Institute of Australia. He continues to recruit patients to clinical trials locally and maintains close links with his colleagues in Sydney. David treats patients with all solid organ cancers and regularly attends the melanoma, lung, gastrointestinal, breast and urology MDT meetings held on site at the RCCC. David consults at RCCC and Young District Hospital, and admits patients requiring inpatient care to Wagga Wagga Base and Calvary Private Hospitals. He also participates in the General Medicine on call roster at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital.

Patrick Woods BSc (Guelph), MBA (McM), ACPA, FAICD

Patrick is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Resources) at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), where he is responsible for the business of the university. This includes the financial strategy and long-term finance plans, the creation and delivery of the $1.5 billion Campus Master Plan, as well as the optimal financial and commercial performance of UTS in support of the university’s strategic objectives. Patrick also has the responsibility for improving strategic and operational resilience against all forms of risk and for activating particular partnerships with the community, industry, government and other enterprises for the derivation and diversification of UTS income.

Prior to joining UTS Patrick spent 28 years in the private sector across many different industry types. He has held numerous chief executive officer, managing director, director and non-executive director positions in various local and international companies across North America, Asia and the Middle East. Patrick has a BSc from the University of Guelph and an MBA from McMaster University in Canada; and he is a former naval officer.

Paul de Souza (Director of Research) BSc Med, MB BS, MPH Syd, PhD UNSW, FRACP

Paul is the Consultant Medical Oncologist at Southside Cancer Care Centre and Head of Medical Research for the CCA Group. He is also Head of School and Dean of Medicine at the University of Wollongong and University of Western Sydney’s (UWS) Foundation Professor in Medical Oncology. He runs a research laboratory at the Ingham Institute in Sydney, and is dedicated to the running of clinical trials, the development of new drugs for cancer patients and innovative methodologies for the monitoring of cancers.

After graduating from Sydney University in 1986 and completing his Medical Oncology training in Sydney, Paul was appointed as a Research Associate and later an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Virginia where he developed his clinical and research interests in cancer drug development and urological cancers.

Upon his return to Sydney in 1997, Paul founded the Clinical Trials Unit in the Liverpool Cancer Care Centre, as well as a research laboratory at St George Hospital dedicated to developing new drugs and approaches for the treatment of various cancers.

Paul also works at the Northern Cancer Institute, Liverpool, St George Public, St George Private and Sutherland Hospitals.

Damien Williams (Chief Operating Officer) DAppSc (MRT), MBA

Damien is the Chief Operating Officer for the CCA Group and the Managing Director of the Riverina Cancer Care Centre. With more than 27 years’ experience in Oncology across Sydney and regional NSW, Damien holds a Diploma of Applied Science (Medical Radiation Technology) and an MBA, providing a unique perspective into healthcare management.

His experience and leadership have been focused on developing and delivering technology-driven care and service solutions. Quality health care drives good outcomes and Damien is passionate about ensuring cancer patients have access to immediate quality health care. In addition to being a founding member of the NSW Cancer Council South West Region Advisory Council, Damien is a long standing member of the NSW Cancer Institute Rural Oncology Group.