OBSERVATIONS IN DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ORAL CANCER OVER THE PAST 45 YEARS Lessons remain in identifying malignant disorders and prevention across health settings
With
Professor Peter Thomson,
Head of Dentistry and Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences
James Cook University, Cairns
SEGMENT
Filmed in the Gold Coast | May 2026
Peter Thomson is Academic Head of Dentistry and Professor of Oral & Maxillofacial Sciences in the College of Medicine & Dentistry at James Cook University, Australia. A UK and Australian specialist in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and Oral Medicine, he qualified BDS from Manchester University and MBBS from Newcastle upon Tyne, gaining Fellowships in Dental Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Ireland and Glasgow and a Fellowship in Surgery from Edinburgh, specializing in Head & Neck Oncology.
He completed MSc and PhD degrees in epithelial biology and cancer research at Manchester University, where he was Lecturer, before returning to Newcastle in 1996 as Professor of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. In 2009, he was appointed Hunterian Professor at the Royal College of Surgeons of England and in 2011 King James IV Professor at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. In 2014, he gained a Manchester Higher Doctorate (DDSc) for oral oncology research, and in 2016 an MD from the University of Bath for his thesis on interventional management of potentially malignant disorders.
Developing an extensive international profile, Peter was appointed Visiting Professor at the National University of Singapore in 2014 before joining the University of Queensland’s School of Dentistry as Professor of Maxillofacial Surgery & Academic Clinical Director in 2016. He was recruited to The University of Hong Kong in October 2017 to become Associate Dean at the Faculty of Dentistry and Director of the Prince Philip Dental Hospital. He has also held Academic Head and Dean of Dentistry positions at the University of Central Lancashire, UK and Griffith University in Australia. He was invited to join James Cook University as Head of Dentistry in 2021.
Author of more than 350 research papers and 2 oral cancer textbooks, Peter is an internationally recognised authority in oncology, population health and dental education. His research emphasis encompasses oral carcinogenesis, epithelial cell biology, and the early diagnosis and interventional management of cancer.
Source: James Cook University website
Media access credit: Oral Health Association of Australia (OHAA)
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Michelle Fenwick – Northern Health
The outskirts of Melbourne is experiencing significant population growth over the next 10 years and Northern Health has taken preemptive steps to ensure the supply of new talented healthcare staff as well as develop the culture of the workplace.
Michelle Fenwick, the Executive Director of Northern Health spoke with our reporter Anne Dao on the challenges of this urban growth over the past 3 years. By 2031 the region is expected to increase in population by 63%. Added to this is hiring and training the right workforce to align with the clinical care needs of people coming into the healthcare centres.
Culture is forming in a growing organisation with approximately 70% of staff having been at Northern Health less than 4 years. However there is opportunity for clinical staff to accelerate their career in such an environment
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Australian Healthcare Week
Held 27th-28th March at the ICC Sydney, the expo is one of the largest, if not the largest healthcare events in the regions. AHJ as media partner attended and met with delegates, exhibitors and leaders in the healthcare industry. Click the post to see footage.
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Mission to raise awareness of sarcoma and need for clinical trial funding
Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer, remains the deadliest cancer for children and young adults, accounting for nearly one third (30%) of cancer-related deaths among those aged 15–24 and one tenth (10%) of those aged 0–14. Further, still severely under-diagnosed, sarcoma only accounts for one sixth (15%) of all cancer diagnoses in the 15 – 24 age group, and less than a tenth (8%) among children under 10.
